The way of the samurai
by WarmeBriseVomMeer
Summary: When the darkness falls into your life and takes everything from you, what would you do? Would you still fight for the light or will you choose to follow the shadows? Accompany Kakarot through his way of the Samurai and watch how he evolves.
1. Darkness' prelude

He breathes heavily... His lungs burning like fire... His muscles felt heavy like weights... His escape had robbed him of so much energy that he could barely feel his injuries, they just felt numb.

Suddenly the air around him vibrates. His natural instincts react to the sound of a buzzing arrow as he swirls around to avoid a direct hit in the middle of his chest. As he turns, the arrow pierces through his right shoulder making him hiss in pain as he breathes loudly. Taking a deep breath he focuses his energy on the enemy. **"Come and show yourself, bastards!"** The Ronin said breaking off the arrow. He roars fervour as he abruptly sees several shadows in the corner of his eye running towards him with a raised sword.

The air stands still. He closes his eyes. Pulls out his sword. With the first blow the first one falls, as he swings around he slashes the second one. With both hands he pushes his sword through the belly of his next opponent. His shoulder now throbbing in pain

**"I will come out alive here!"**

He screamed as he swirls his sword to parry a sword from behind. His elbow crashes into the nose of the attacker, making the attacker stagger. The Ronin uses his imbalance to kick skillfully against the man's chest. By falling to the ground, he tears off his comrade. Before the comrade could get back up a blade pierces his throat. '_Only five of those bastards left.' _He thought as the Ronin jumps into the air ready to attack his next opponent, but felt a burning pain passes through his left leg. He crashes to the ground '_Damn it! The arrow shooter hit me!' _He thought. Suppresses a cry of pain. _'Breathe... Survive... I can.. not breathe... My lungs.. burn like fire... Breathe damn it!'_

Like in slow motion the next attacker storms at him making him look up and reflexively rolls to the side, swirling on his hands he caught the attacker's jaw with his knee. The next one rush towards him with a roar. The Ronin disarms him, pulls him inwards and with his fingers he hits the pressure points on his attackers biceps, turning his arm he hits the triceps pressure points and chain fists the opponent, breaking his ribs, the sternum and his throat. The man's arms are stunned as he gasps for air and then slowly collapses. '_He won't be getting up again anytime soon.' _The next two rushed and attacked the Ronin, one from the right and the other from the left. He kicks one of them in the face as he rams his elbows through the others skull shattering it. The arrow shooter rushes toward him with a roar, shooting one arrow after the other aiming for the Ronin's chest, to which he easily avoids by moving like a leaf in the wind. The arrow shooter shoots and shoots. Out of nowhere the last swordsman attacks the Ronin from behind, but shortly ends up being a human shield instead. The shooter brushes against the Gi of the Ronin with his last arrow which shreds his clothes and creates a flesh wound in his abdomen. He tries to ignore the pain as he strikes forward with his Shōtō against the shooter. The blades collide, the sound vibrated painfully in their ears. _'This bastard is pretty good for a shooter. But he must have a weakness.' _His eyes analyses the situation in the speed of light, as his synapses were working at full speed. His pulse hits him in the neck.

The solution seemed like a flash of lightning in front of his eyes, smiling evilly the Ronin's dark eyes shinned as he drops his guard letting the shooter attack, he dodged his sword and blocks the arm with his underarms and whirls the shooter around throwing him to the ground. He kneels down and continuously punches the shooter in the face until he spits blood.

The Ronin grabs his neck and presses firmly. **"Tell your stupid client that he should not send me a bunch of idiots if he wants to kill me!"** In that response the shooter spits blood in his face. Calmly the warrior wipes the saliva mixed with blood from his face and gives the shooter a blow to the temple. Immediately he becomes unconscious. The Ronin gets up slowly and Inhales deeply, breathing facilitated. He closes his eyes and smiles. _'I live, you bastards!'_

A sharp pain flows through him, the adrenaline in his blood subsidizing as he becomes fully aware of his pain. The sky seems so heavy like a huge mountain fell on his shoulders. The earth seems to pull him to the ground. '_It could be so pleasant just to lay down.'_

The memory of his father flashed through his mind.

He immediately stood up straight. '_I am not going to die now! I must keep my promise...' _He thought squinting his eyes in pain stubbornly defining death and keeps on going, running on and on he Inhales and exhales deeply_ 'I have to go on from here. I must…continue.' _Everything turns black before his eyes. The Ronin then loses consciousness and falls to the ground.

In the vas of nothingness his mother's voice echoes to him: _"promise me you will survive... find the culprits that did this..."_ In the darkness his father's voice roars in his mind: _"come on! Let's defend our village! (...) " _

_'A huge heat overwhelmed me.. I can see burning houses... burning people! Screams.. So many screams! Everywhere I look, there is death.' "Father, I can't leave you here!" 'So much blood... Tons of blood.' "Run, my son! Survive, Kakarot!" _


	2. light into Darkness

"Kakarot!!!" A burning pain strikes through his face as he got bitch slapped hard. He opens his eyes to see an old mysterious man with a long beard bending over him. "Kakarot is your name, if I'm not mistaken." The old man said as Kakarot looked up at him 'How the heck does this hooded man know my name?'

he jumps at an incredible pace and immediately puts himself into a fighting stance "Who the hell are you and how do you know my name!"

The old man laughs crazily "I have lived so many years that I know everything and everyone in this country. I'm Muten Roshi but for you, I am from now on your new master. "

His left leg trembles with pain, his breathing becoming heavily. The last fight consumed his last reserves of energy as blood kept pouring out of his wounds. His breath trembles slightly as he wanted to say something but before Kakarot could reply, he collapses and the world around him turns black again.

When Kakarot woke up again he was sitting tied and gagged on a chair with bandages around his wounds which smelt like some sort of medicinal herbs. 'So... What kind of mess I am in now?' Kakarot looks around and sees nothing but a tiny room lit with a few candles. In an unlit corner of the room, a masked shadow moves towards him, with his heart throbbing in his throat sweat begins to run down his back. A hand slowly approaches in his direction and grows larger in front of his eyes, his breathing becoming faster and more restless as he tries to concentrate on what he could do to get out of here, but before he can think of everything the hand grabs his gag and pulls it away from his mouth.

"Before you make plans to escape from here, I demand you to listen to me first." Kakarot spits in the old man's face, Muten Roshi continues without interruption. "I've been looking for you since the massacre of your clan, I knew you would survive because it is written in your destiny. Your clan has been wronged and this imbalance needs to be rectified, therefore you will be my student for the next 6 months and you will find your own kind, restoring balance back together."

Kakarot looks at the old man suspiciously.'He does not reveal much of himself and his hooded face hides any possibility of placing him in a clan, yet he does not behave like a madman. No one is asking for anything, without any consideration from him. I'll have to watch him for a while to figure it out.'

Kakarot smiles and with a provocative look he says to Muten Roshi "Do I have any choice but to become your student?"

The old man smiles smugly and strokes his beard thoughtfully."Well then, your first lesson will be to teach you some respect. You will stay tied up until your wounds have healed and your pride is broken, only then are you ready for my training. "

"You damn old man! Release me immediately!!" Kakarot roars as Muten Roshi leaves the room without another word.

10 days had passed since the last battle and Kakarot seems to be all healed.

"Here's your supper Kakarot, I see your injuries heal a lot faster than of those of a normal person. However, I'm concerned about your psychological wounds... "

Not sure what to say Kakarot remained quite, being tied up for three days without any food or water he decided to play his game and since then he was allowed to move freely in the closed space allocated to him.

"Now that your wounds are almost healed, we will move on to the next step in your training: concentration and endurance training."

Kakarot doesn't understand why he should have to train, he is anyways an outstanding warrior and a former samurai.

Muten Roshi suspects Kakarot's doubts. "I am aware that you have power and skill, but you lack endurance and you became unconscious after a few fights but when I'm done with you, you'll withstand 10,000 men yourself."

Kakarot just stood there and thought about his parents.

'I'll need that to keep my promise to my mother and father' Without saying anything, Kakarot snaps on an Onigri and goes to the door. "What are we waiting for then, old man?"

For over 9 hours Kakarot had been sitting on a stone that splits over a waterfall. The view of the panorama of the hills and mountains was breath-taking. "Hey old man! How long do I still have to sit here and breathe?"

"You could have gotten up 7 hours ago." Hearing this made Kakarot twitch his mouth and growl.

"This meditating serves to empty your head and sharpen your instincts. Now that you can focus more than ever, your next task will be to increase your stamina and flexibility immensely."

...Kakarot's point of view...

My day starts with a kata for three hours before sunrise, until the sun turns the dark sky into Sakura flowered colours. Muten Roshi-sama is sitting on a stone with a whip in his hand. 200 jumps per minute, without my feet being whipped by the whip. My feet are sore, but I can not give up. If I can not make the 200, I have to do 200 push ups, with no break and with the weight of the old man on my back. Sometimes he also places rock fragments on my back and if I was successful, then I have to do another 200 jumps. He regularly increases the difficulty by letting me jump forward, rotating one arm while the other arm strikes forward. Next follows pull-ups on the tree with heavy weights hanging right and left of me, he says I should try to climb the tree with the help of the weights. Several times I fell to the ground bruising my arm, my ribs and my hip, I grit my teeth and start over. When the sun is finally at its zenith, I can rest for an hour, chase food and get clean water. As soon as he had finished the sentence I sprinted through the forest to the waterhole, tore my clothes off and jumped into the cool water. I dived deep into the lake feeling the seaweed strokes my naked body, it felt cold and slippery. I see so many different types of fish but I'm looking for a bigger prey... there right In front of my eyes is a huge fish! He would be my chosen meal.

I lie naked with a full belly in the tall grass, looking up I enjoy the glorious infinite blue sky, the sun is in the zenith. Closing my eyes I feel relieved, the cicadas make a particularly loud concert today.

When I open my eyes, the position of the sun had changed, It's time to start training again. A sigh escaped my mouth, let's see what the crazy old man has come up with this time.

Muten Roshi sits calmly on a huge boulder with his eyes closed, he doesn't even open them when I stand there in front of him and shout his name. Without opening them, he points to the trained horse behind him and tells me that I should learn how to become one with a mount. It requires a lot of strength, endurance and flexibility. I must feel the heartbeat of my horse.

The old man actually comes up with a strange idea. The Master gets up and mounts on the back of his horse. He yells at me that I should catch my horse fast before his arrows kill me. Nervously, I scratch my cheek, surely this must be a joke, but I wasn't so sure anymore.

In the last second I dodge an arrowhead with lightning speed.

"YOUR DAMN ARROW COULD'VE KILLED ME, YOU CRAZY OLD MAN!"

"YOU MUST NOT THINK SO MUCH! RISE ON TO YOUR HORSE BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

I widen my eyes, now he has completely lost his mind. The Master is now racing toward me. I turn away from him and run as fast as my legs can carry me. My neck is tingling with a sign of imminent danger. My instinct automatically responds to the arrow that comes from the right. I dodge the arrow by doing a somersault to the side and land on my hands, I whirl around and land on my feet, sprinting to my mount.

I sit hastily on the saddle of my horse and gallop for our lives. An arrow brushes my ear, then I dodge the next arrow by bending to the side. As I sensed the next one I avoided the arrow by lifting my leg to the height of my mounts head. Slowly the purpose of the exercise dawns on me, my eyes start to sparkle. If he wants it that way, I'll show him what it means to mess with me. The next arrow comes flying, I turn in the saddle reaching for my bow gear. I lower myself to the flank of my horse and target the thigh muscle of my master's horse. I arch the bow. I inhale air as much I can and hold it in my lungs. Then shoot the arrow. It flies straight into the horse's leg making the poor fellow neigh in pain and collapses in the middle of a gallop.

The master of course got not injured as I ride to the injured animal and try to treat the poor thing with medicinal herbs and bandages.

Muten Roshi gets up off the floor "Kakarot? You learn very quickly but your stamina must be fine-tuned. Let me heal the horse, you will go swimming until the sun is straight over the mountain... Do not forget the weights."


	3. Sakura colored sky

His training went on from day to day as it got more difficult, nonetheless 6 months have passed and the results shows it selves.

The white stripe on the horizon breaks the darkness in half as the coldest time of day breaks in. Slowly the familiar rays of the sun begin to heat up the earth. A dense fog covers the landscape, the tall grass is still wet with the dew of dawn. Kakarot focuses on the sight of the sunrise as he performs his kata. His grey-green linen trousers dripping wet, but his quick concentrated kicks and punches distract him from the wet cold as he pushes forward with a fist, slams the second forward as he pulls back the first one next to his ribcage. He repeats this, with every thrust of his legs and with each thrust forward, his breath heats the air in front of him. He shifts his weight to his back leg and steps on the knees, hips, chest and head of an imaginary opponent. Back in his fighting position, he whirls around, jumps up and kicks his hind leg into the air. Kakarot then lands crouching on his feet.

His training with Muten Roshi taught him to perceive his entire environment. He could hear his quick breath, feel his pulse throbbing, feel the damp earth, the humid air and the rising heat. He sees how the black trees around him take on their colourful splendour as the dominant grey-black sky evaporates into delicate blue, lilac and pink tones. Kakarot takes a slow deep breath and calms his body.

In the distance he hears the splashing of a small waterfall and the beautiful sound of a Shakuhachi flute. Attracted by the gentle tones, Kakarot moves in that direction, he moves fast and controlled, jumps from tree to tree and runs through the narrow paths of the densely grown cedar trees. Dry scrub crackles under his feet as all sorts of plants cling to his grey-green pants. Fireflies are buzzing around his head and loose stones make it difficult for him to get ahead. Kakarot became not even sweaty when he finally finds the source of the music.

A girl with blonde short hair sits on a rock on the bank of a stream and plays on her Shakuhachi flute, a second girl artistically moves to the melody while a small waterfall falls into the stream behind them.

'Seems like the splashing and the gentle melody comes from here'Kakarot thinks as his eyes wander to the second girl. She has the same clothes as the blonde girl, a red Hakama and a white Kimono blouse. Her face is noble and her eyes are focused. His jaw drops open when he realizes that her clothes are a bit tight on her hips and chest. Her long silky-black hair which she has loosely tied back with a fringe covering her forehead shimmers in her movements. She moves in graceful yet elegant movements that reminded Kakarot of the ocean waves. Her wide sleeves blew in the wind like the leaves of a bamboo grove. Looking at the sight of her grace, a pleasantly warm feeling spreads in his broad rib cage.

Kakarot takes a step forward and stands on a very dry stick that breaks under his weight and makes a loud crack.

The two girls became startled and stare in his direction.'They will think that I want to do something to them. What can I do to relieve their anxiety?'But before he can think it through to the end, a moon-white hand in a white kimono blouse strikes toward him and he had just seconds to dodge. She raises her leg covered in the Crimson red Hakama pants and tries to kick the Ronin's temple, but he blocks the kick, holds her leg tight under his arm and forces her to turn around with a twist of her knee and ankle. Automatically her body spins around facing a tree in front of her. She gasps in shock. Her silky-black hair sparkles with this movement. Then he presses her against the wide tree. He grabs her left shoulder with his right hand and uses the rest of his arm as a block for her shoulder blades. He twists her arm around her back in order to stop her from breaking free while he puts a knee between her legs.

Now she was trapped. Her pulse is racing with fear.'No...!!! He will ... dishonour me, if I don't do anything..!!'fears the black-haired Miko.

Kakarot's face was now so close to her that he could take in the beautiful smell of her hair and her skin, like the smell of Sakura blossoms. He could feel the heat gather in his broad chest again and sighs."Honoured Miko-san, I do not want to do anything to hurt you. I am here because I heard the pleasant music, but If you promise not to attack me, I'll let you go."He whispers in a silky yet deep voice to her neck.

She widens her eyes. 'His breath is tickling my neck, his lips must be centimetres away... What did he just said? Not hurting me? Maybe he tells the truth because if he wanted to hurt me he would've already done it..."

In the corner of his eye, he can see that the blonde Miko tries to approach him with a knife to stab him, but he is faster and without leaving his position, he shifts his weight unwittingly and presses his upper body to the Miko in front of him and kicks the Shōtō from the hand of the other Miko behind him. He quickly straightens, so that the Miko in front of himself won't be stifled under his pressure.

"Bulmachan!! Stop attacking him!! He won't do anything to us!!"Screams the black-haired girl muffled by the pressure against her breasts.

The Ronin removes his body from hers as she sighs loudly in relief. Kakarot holds out his hand to her as a sign of a peace offering to which she accepts and immediately feels a pleasant heat rising from his touch go through her body. She looks him in the eyes.'His hands feel rough and big yet his eyes sparkle with kindness. He is tall and looks strong and his hair seems to defy gravity. His face is well formed and noble, his broad chest raises and sinks heavily.'Her cheeks redden as she realizes she is holding his hand unseemly long, lowering her eyes she pulls her hand away.

Kakarot clears his throat and introduces himself."Forgive the inconvenience. I am Kakarot, son of Lieutenant Bardock, I belong to the warrior clan of the Saiyans. I heard this soothing music in the distance and let my curiosity guide me. Forgive me if I scared you defied Miko."He unconsciously looks only to the black-haired woman for he could not help it, her hazel eyes casted some spell over him. A shaky breath leaves his lips.'Her eyes, her sensual lips and her scent cloud my head.. I should get away from here fast.'

The black haired Miko winces when he mentions his clan, anger begun to boil up in her.'I would've never thought I would meet a Saiyan again.'She looks at him critical and immediately recognizes which social order he belongs to."If I'm not mistaken, you're a samurai without a Shogun, a Ronin. A man like you should not be near a Miko."

'Her tongue is sharper than any katana'he thought as his eyes sparkled 'The women of my clan were almost all like her...'He smirks.

"I'm more interested in the fighting style you practiced before I interrupted you. Everything else is uninteresting."'Let's see if she can freak out too.'

"This fighting style," as you call it, is a form of meditation, not fighting. When I visited the Shaolin monks in the west, I studied their martial arts styles and practiced with them every day. If you're just interested in fighting, you're not capable of learning that style. "

Kakarot's eyes sparkle. A seductive grin spreads on his face. "We will see. Anyway I think it promotes social norms, that you also tell me your name."The black haired Miko glares at him defiantly and says nothing.

The blond-haired Miko was not sure why her friend behaved so differently, so she's the first to speak up."Please forgive us our rudeness Kakarot-san, this situation is based on misunderstandings, my name is

Bulma, daughter of an aristocrat and Miko of the Senju temple. This is ChiChi, heir to the Ox tribe and also Miko of the Senju temple."It was the first time that Kakarot honoured her with a look.He winks at her with a seductive smile on his lips. Her eyes start to sparkle at the sight of the attractive young man. She bows in the most elegant way possible.

He looks back to ChiChi-san and notices that she will not bow, he smiles mischievously and bows to both girls.

Bulma-san takes the initiative by touching his muscular arm and offering him to stay a little longer to continue listening to the flute.

Kakarot notices that Bulma-san is pressing her breasts against his arm and he sighs annoyed thinking to himself'If it were ChiChi's breasts pressed against me I would not have minded...'

ChiChi follows the two inconspicuously, she notices how close Bulmachan's body sticks to his muscular arm and how he was trying to get out of the touch as tactfully as possible. 'Why does he have to be a Saiyajin?'She thought as she sighs.'Fate sure likes to play pranks on me.' Kakarotsanskillfully manages to free himself from the grip of Bulma-chan and rushes to the waterfall. He draws water in his hands and claps it in his face, distributing the remaining water into his wild hair. His moss green robes are dirty at the hem, even torn and the black leather on his Gi looks worn out. He turns around as if someone had called him and looks at ChiChi knowing. He smirks as ChiChi lowers her eyes and turns away from him.

"Bulmachan let us continue where we left off."Bulma is about to put her flute to her mouth, but then Kakarot grabs her wrist and keeps her from playing. He turns to ChiChi."ChiChi-san, let me show you some techniques instead that will help you against any attacker. Not all men would be as peaceful as I am. I want you two to be better prepared for such situations."

ChiChi reflects on how easily he had disabled her and Bulma-chan. Memories of his strong arms and muscular upper body suddenly flash in her mind.'My neck is still tingling with his hasky voice.'

She nods in agreement.

From one second to the next, his expression changes from kind to determined and focused. He takes in his fighting stance."Attack me, ChiChi-san!"In that instant she strikes towards him. She tries to punch in his beautiful face but in the next seconds she could only feel his hand grab her wrist and his arm around her waist. In the blink of an eye she lies suddenly on the ground, supported by his arms.'I didn't even see how he knocked me down.'He takes her hand and helps her onto her feet. When she looks up, she looks into deep black eyes with a flaming desire."With this technique you can manage to overturn any man even with more bulk."He releases her hand and demonstrates the same movement to Bulma again. Lying on the ground she giggles like a young girl, she tried to seek eye contact with Kakarot but he just looked seriously in the direction of where ChiChi was and asks her if she understood everything.

The two Miko's practice and study several techniques that Kakarot shows them. He sat on this boulder on the bank of the stream with his arms crossed and watched his new students training, satisfied he looks up at the sky and realizes that it is time to leave."Chichi-san, Bulma-san that will be enough for today, I have to go, my master is already waiting for me on the grassy landscape. It was a pleasure to train you."He gets up and bows politely.

"See you soon, Kakarot-san"Bulma says with a smile and a bow. Kakarot turns his back on the girls and smiles once more before disappearing in the forest.

"There is something attractive about him, don't you think Chichi-Chan?"Bulma sighs dreamily and sits down on the still warm boulder.

"Imagine his eager eyes staring at you while he touches your face."'Bulma chan has always been so straightforward with her thoughts.' Thinks Chichi as she imagines his rough hands on her face. 'He came so close to me that I felt the need to touch his lips. How can something like that happen to me? I don't even know him... And then he is also a Saiyan... I have sworn to despise these Saiyajins, yet Ironically one of them has such an effect on me. I must not forget what happened back then...'

Chichi focuses and turns her eyes to her friend."Bulma-chan, we should go to the temple and focus on our duties."

Kakarot thinks to himself as he runs back to his clearing 'What does this Miko with the silky-black hair that reacts to the name ChiChi have such a hold on me? In my 23 years has no girl from our village ever impressed me, even my brother often joked that he would get me a boy.'He looks to the sky and observes how the colours in the sky changes from Sakura blossom-colouring to the eternal blue of the sky. This pleasant sunrise unconsciously reminds him of the elegant movements of ChiChi-san. His chest swells again with this warm feeling inside. He quickly shakes his head to dispel the feeling as he has a mission to fulfil.'I have to find my brother and avenge our clan. I owe that to my mother and father.'He gathers his strength and begins to run faster.

Muten Roshi patiently waits for his pupil. The sun has been brightening the day for 3 hours. Thoughtfully, he strokes his beard sitting cross legged in the meadow.

Suddenly a strong wind blew in his face and the next second his student stood in front of him, full of Energy as always, except that he did not look as grim as he always did. His face shines like the sun itself, but his facial expression is still focused. Something was different today than usual.'If my senses are not mistaken, the reason is because of a beautiful woman.'Muten Roshi smiles."I told you to warm up, not to have fun with women!"

Kakarot gets angry and shouts"Old man, you are getting senile! I started exercising before dawn, do not pretend I did something else! "

Muten Roshi laughs at how confident his student lies in his face. Even if his statement is not quite true, he would not get away with it. He grunts with laughter

"Anyway, we have a long way to go and when you're ready we'll leave immediately."

Kakarot looks at the two horses grazing in the meadow."I'm always ready!"


	4. The fire within

••Kakarot's point of view••

On the back of my horse we raced towards the south, the trees were blurring from our speed. The smell of dust, flowers, grass and wood impregnate the air. A familiar and pleasant fragrance that reminds me of home. The crickets at night and the cicadas by day sing their songs in an alternately endless circle. The fireflies light up the night like little candles. The snorting of my horse and the tightening of his muscles along with his heartbeat was all I could perceive with my senses. The cold headwind dries my face from sweat, My lungs burn like fire as I'm constantly breathe in the same rhythm to maintain my condition. Muten Roshi and I have been riding through the woods for four sunrises having five nights of a full radiant moon, which illuminated the way and as soon as the light of the moon diminished, we set up our camp. Then we would start riding again as soon as the first bird started chirping, only stopping to give our horses a break. My robes wafted behind me like a war flag in the wind, the leather of my saddle crunches at high load. The undergrowth crackles under the hooves of my horse.

My master gives me a sign to change direction as we ride towards a bright light announcing the end of the forest.

As we reach the edge of the forest, a wide open landscape widens before my eyes. The blazing sun blinds my eyes since it was darker and cooler in the forest than in the open area, the heat now becomes unbearable. The sun's rays beats its heat on the earth with all its power as I feel my clothes begin to stick to my skin due to the sweat that has accumulated in this heat. Beads of sweat drip from my face onto my clothes as we rode through the grass steppes which was overgrown with grass and shrubs that was as tall as a fully grown samurai. The dry shrubs rustle as soon as we race through them leaving pieces of scrub attached to the hairs of my horse and my trousers, but I ignore it for now and focus on my mission. Muten Roshi turns his head to me and signals with his finger that we should take the pass over the mountains.

A majestic mountain range loomed before my eyes. We sped to the foot of the mountain and once there, we curb our mounts to a standstill. With difficulty we climb the mountain in front of us, the mountains were rocky, covered with dry scrub and overgrown with broadstemmed trees. They grew so high that hardly any daylight could penetrate.

We stepped at the path to not get lost in the eternal labyrinth of the wooded mountains.

Finally arrived at the cliff of the mountain we see our goal for our mission. In the middle of the valley was a huge village, which is surrounded by rice terraces. We ride down the mountainside and jump over rocky outcroppings. Giving my horse the sign to jump over the next rock, he lands behind the rock ledge and suddenly the earth slips under his hooves. My horse neighs aloud, my heart is up to my neck as panic spreads through me. He is on the verge of falling to the ground and crushing my legs. I take a deep breath. The negative energy flows out of my body. I collect my thoughts as I pull hard on my horses reins. With a sharp jerk I pull it to the side and he neighs in shock. I try to control him with all my strength until he could stand calmly on all fours again. I felt like both our hearts were pumping with adrenaline as I get off the saddle and stroke his mane to help him calm down. Muten Roshi-sama turns on his heel and sprints to me with his steed, I explained to him that everything is alright as he helps me back onto the saddle of my horse.

A trade route which we follow leads us directly to the village. We slow down our mounts, snorting with exhaustion we stop in front of the open gate of the village. Muten Roshi-sama explains that this is the village of the refugees and that the open gate symbolizes the openness of the village and that it welcomes every homeless person. I feel dizzy as I get off the horse and finally feel solid ground under my feet. I hold onto the saddle of my horse for a few seconds until the dizziness stops, this whole riding for days has exhausted me more than I had imagined. Pulling my mount on its reins, I follow my master into the village.

The sight that awaits me there takes my breath away, so many different people, so many different smells linger in this village. People with different cultural clothes and people from different clans are buzzing around like a swarm of wasps. I knew that we are looking for someone, but I would not have dreamt in my life that it could be so difficult.

We walked through a crowd of people smelling of sweat while the air smelt of aromas and spices. Some men deliberately bumped into me, they looked like they were itching for a fight but I did not let myself be disturbed. One of them is roaring near my ears, Someone slaps my horse on it's hind legs and in fright he kicks backwards. The poor guy standing directly behind him flew three meters back into a fish stall, which completely broke in two parts and the fish was distributed. Stray cats and dogs jump on this occasion as the seller escapes the man who has fallen into his stall, he curses the animals that plunge at his precious goods and then curses the whole town for his condition. Several people lay scattered across, like a dilated fan on the ground as they were swept away by the man who flew backwards. Many onlookers gathered around the scene. Muten Roshi shakes his head giving me a sign that I should just keep going, I have to keep my head down so as not to attract attention, but this village tends to challenge me.

I was already tense anyway, then there comes the next guy looking for a fight with me. He bumps into me and I apologize politely. He breathes down my neck with his sickening breathe and growls that I have insulted him. I tell him with a commanding tone that he should just stay away, Instead he gets a butcher knife and threatens me, saying offence things about my mother. Memories of the last seconds of her made their way into my memory, the anger in me glows like an inferno and when I was able to hold myself back, this baka spits in my face. That's it, now he's in trouble.

My arms begin to shake with adrenaline. I broke his arm that held a weapon, his face shows his in pain, but just before he cries out, I take his head in both hands and head butt him, watching him immediately fall to the floor unconscious.

The other men saw what I did and instantly jump on me. One jumps on my back to which I smash him to the ground. Another one of them jumps up with a roar, but my foot stifles his battle cry. The other one is cleverer and tries to attack me in the jump, bad luck for him that I have noticed him. In the forward flip I pull his feet away with my own feet. He loses his balance and smashes his face first on the ground. I stand on my feet again only to have three men attack me in a triangle formation. I jumped up first using the attacker in the front as a springboard to kick with both of my legs in the face of the other two behind him. The momentum from my jump made me unload a skilful forward roll placing me back on the ground as I blocked a powerful kick with my arm and pulled his leg in, I punch him between his pelvis bone which made them crack in seconds making the man then fall to his knees. Back on my feet, more and more men are surrounding me ready to fight.

So much for not wanting to attract attention.

My right hand was on my katana shaft, I look around and counted my opponents, there was at least 10 men which made the corners of my mouth lift with joy.

I am ready to take on everybody.

Just as all parties start to leap something unexpected happens, men and women dressed in the same style as Kakarot ambushed the armed men and smashed them down one after another. A sudden thick puff of smoke lifts up from the ground and Kakarot is immediately dragged into the fog and completely disappears.

The horses were left in the crowd while the mysterious warriors disappeared in the smoke with Kakarot and his master. The fighting stage was the only hint that a big fight had ever happened, but everything went so fast that the people kept in darkness what was actually going on.


	5. allies and enemies

Kakarot struggles with his breathing as he tries to catch his breath, this whole sprinting and the fights before made him gasp for air. He focuses his thoughts and calms his pulse, turning left to the shapes in the shadows. His Master seems more composed than he is, apparently he knows who we are dealing with.

"Thanks for earlier guys, I take it you're our allies, right?"He speaks into a dark alley.

"With your talent to get always involved in fights, it's a miracle that you're still alive, little brother."says a familiar voice.

'Is it really possible... Or am I dreaming?'Kakarot walks to the familiar voice and takes off his hood.

Like in the old days he tied his long spiky hair back and if he did not have such a grumpy face he would look very much like Kaasan. The Ronin grins from ear to ear at his missing brother."The same could be said to you Raditz."

The two brothers grab each other's elbows, goofing around and hugging each other fraternally.'He smells like sweat and earth, but most of all, he smells like home'Kakarot thought to himself.

"Kakarot! Raditz! Concentrate on your mission."Muten Roshi-sama has a firm and determined undertone, which makes them stand still on the spot."Let's go!"

They all together storm forward, jumping over mud puddles, over debris and disturbing objects, the houses are all lined up close to each other and the wooden facades are fragile. Muten Roshi-sama jumps up against one wall and pushes away from it, repeating it on the opposite facade until he lands on the roof and rolls off. The troupe follows his example and Kakarot hesitates for a moment but then he jumps up and clings to the roof ledge with one hand. He pulls himself up seeing his brother hold out his hand as he grabs it and stands upright on the roof, just like in old times they give each others a helping hand and nod towards each other. All gathered in a row, they look to the master, waiting for the next command. But he storms to the next roof, jumps and rolls off. 'This damn old man... what kind of stuff did he keep hidden?' The Ronin's eyes sparkle like dark marble, he stands at the edge of the roof and jumps.

Muten Roshi-sama raises his hand and the whole group Synchronously stands in their place. Everything went quiet until they could hear the sounds of the locals in front of them thundering against the warriors.

Kakarot feels the heat rising in his face. "So our hiding place is a brothel?..."he sees his brother's shoulders quiver as he tries to suppress his laughter. Kakarot sighs.' My brother won't leave me alone for one second.'

"Hey, old man, why the heck is a brothel going to be our hiding place?"Kakarot said annoyed as he looks at the osake drinking man next to him. His brother was leaning against the wall with sparkling eyes, waiting to play his little brothers stupid pranks.

Muten Roshi looks at him"It's a place where many men go, men from every social class come here to chat or let their fantasies run wild. We have made sure that all important information gets through to us here. Caulifla-san should be known to you if I'm not mistaken."The girl with the wild hair and a rebellious face winks at him meaningfully.'Well... I know her too well.'Kakarot thought as he looked at her"We've put her and Kale here as a courtesan, so that all the information can be forwarded to us."Kakarot clears his throat a little shocked and acts calmly about this information.'I will have to talk to her afterwards in private.'

"Got it.. So from here we want to get information, but I still do not know the battle plan, let alone who the target is."Kakarot said while he crosses his arms before his chest.

"If you have not noticed Kakarot, there are almost exclusive people from the Saiyan clan sitting in this room. While you betrayed us in the massacre, we went looking for who the bastard is behind all this."The Saiyan with spiky hair was slightly smaller than Kakarot. As far as he can judge the Saiyan was always in a bad mood and does not talk much, in fact he always came across rather arrogant and was the son of the former Clan chief, General Vegeta Sr.

Kakarot glares at him with dark eyes."Then tell me what you found out so far Vegeta"

Vegeta reacts only with a defiant "hmph" and looks deadly into Kakarot's eyes."I wasn't expecting anything else."Kakarot grins evilly as he says that in Vegeta's face.

"You! born as the son of a low-ranking warrior, do YOU! want to teach the son of the general and tribal chief successor of a better one?"

As if on command they both jumped up and pulled out their swords. You could see an angry spark in both their eyes as the air suddenly got tense. Everyone stood ready to intervene so that the two spitfires make no mistake. Vegeta and Kakarot are still in a fighting stance and are about to jump at each others throats.

Feeling excited Kakarot smiles at the challenge before him, but Muten Roshi-sama pulls the two rivals back by their ears to the ground and gives them a telling-off."You two are allowed to beat each other as often as you want, but only when this mission is finished. Preserve your faces, please!"Annoyed, the Master turns back to the scriptures and both clan members rub their ears in pain as they sit back in their seats.

Muten Roshi-sama releases the heavy silence in the room with knitted instructions to the 10 Ronin in front of him. "Kakarot, Vegeta, Raditz, Nappa, Broly, Kale and Caulifla. You stay here collecting information and keeping your eyes out for special people. Cabba, Turles and Tarble, you will follow me, we will seek out other survivors and allies outside this village and send them here."Before Kakarot and Vegeta could protest the Master silences them with a hand signal."You two will work together, whether you like it or not."Both warriors stay quiet. 'Everybody listen to the old man without resistance, I wonder how he actually gets Vegeta to listens to him.'Thinks Kakarot.

"The scouts group that needs to come with me immediately start packing, we will leave this place today! We have to leave here before dark and for the rest of you stay here and keep to your cover. You will act as spies and nothing else, have I made myself clear?!"The old man looks at the two rivals longer than anyone else."Some special person will soon arrive here from a country far to the southwest. The land full of sand. You will accept him as your strategist and leader, until then, Nappa will be your leader. Raditz will receive the position of consultant and the rest of you do his job as a spy."

Muten Roshi-sama leaves his words in the air and without looking back he leaves the room.


	6. dark clouds approaching

"Our job is to look out for certain people, not to behave like idiots,"

The features expressed on his face were serious as Vegeta walks arrogantly in the direction of the two warriors.

"But I did not expect anything more from warriors of a lower rank anyway."

"You don't say, Vegeta? I didn't see you doing your job either."

Kakarot detaches from his brother's stranglehold and looks at Vegeta viciously. Raditz sighs annoyed and keeps the two rivals apart from each other.

"Calm down, we are all on the same side. Vegeta stop looking for fights with my brother and you, stop responding to his provocations. You will both get us in trouble with that kind of attitude. Let's just concentrate on the mission at hand by finding some sort of trail."

The two rivals growl at each other one last time and abruptly turn their backs on each other. 'Like two stray street baits defending their territory',Raditz thinks as he turns a blind eye. He exhales out loud, rubs his temples and thinks about a distraction.

"How about communicating to the dealers, maybe we can help them and as a payment we simply take important information..."

Kakarot says while holding his chin thoughtfully. Both Saiyan clan members stare at him with their eyes wide like an eagle.

"Little brother, your ideas can sometimes be really admirable."

Raditz slaps him on the shoulder blades and laughs. Kakarot ignores his comment as Vegeta reacts with a simple 'hmpf' and sets off. 'This fucking Kakarot, I'm the better warrior out of the both of us!'

Kakarot puts on his hood untouched by Vegeta's cold arrogance and walks off with his brother on his way to the market. As they walk Raditz notices how tormented his little brother's eyes look when he thinks no one is watching him. 'my foolish little brother has been through a lot in the last few months. Still, he doesn't allow himself to rest.'But before Raditz can address his little brother, he rushes to a dealer.

"Kakarot, wait!"

but he doesn't react, so Raditz looks in the direction to where his brother had ran off to. The motion sequence Raditz noticed from a merchant seemed strange. He swayed back and forth on one spot in front of his stall, runs back behind his stall, stacks a fish on his little fish tower and repeats the whole spectacle again. 'This rocking isn't just a seesaw, is this man suspicious or just crazy?'The warrior reaches out to his little brother, who stands just a few steps away from the trader and watches him.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a stall next to them crashes in and both Ronin's go into cover. Meanwhile the suspicious trader sneaks his way out through the dust. Kakarot starts to chase him, but then he hears a familiar voice screaming loudly. 'Damn it, this is not going to end well,' he sighs out aloud.

"I'LL TELL YOU ONE LAST TIME, WHO IS YOUR CONTACT MAN!"

Vegeta proudly walks to the man lying in what seems to be the broken stall. He grabs his collar and lifts the guy up so that his feet float a few inches off the ground. He growls at him with an evil look. The poor man coward for his life.

"Dear warrior, I have already told you that I know him only indirectly and nothing more, please let me live!"

Vegeta pulls out his Shōtō and threatens the trader with his blade.

"VEGETA! LET HIM GO! HE KNOWS NOTHING!"

Both Ronin's jump to the man's aid as Kakarot hits Vegeta's face with a well placed Roundhouse kick. Vegeta instantly flies three metres back into the muddy road as Raditz catches the poor man that was questioned. He then helps him out and sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience. Meanwhile many onlookers have gathered at every corner to not miss any of the new gossip.

"YOU DAMN TRAITOR! HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE!"

He said drawing out his Katana...

"VEGETA DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU WILL ACHIEVE SOMETHING BY THREATENING INNOCENT PEOPLE!? "

... Vegeta points his Katana to Kakarot.

However, Bardock's second-born son remains calm and puts his hand on his own sword. 'I'm must use Father's technique.'The grip he had on his sword tightens as the veins and tendons on his arm begin to show from all the tension in his muscles. He is ready for the deadly blow.

Vegeta runs towards Kakarot with a battle scream and with the Katana he aims for Kakarot's heart.

But he dodges Vegeta's blow. Every blow, jab and kick Vegeta threw Kakarot was able to dodge like a leaf in the wind.

Vegeta tries to kick his legs away, but Kakarot makes two back handspring to the side to keep his distance.

Vegeta's blood begins to boil from feeling overwhelmed with anger, he felt like his pride had been insulted as Kakarot dares to expose him. In a blind rage, he recklessly storms towards Kakarot.

Kakarot smirked, feeling the opportunity he has been waiting for, had finally arrived. He stretched out his hand making his veins pop through his skin. He leans forward, pulls out his sword jerking it out of the scabbard and tears Vegeta a gaping wound across his torso.

Vegeta bends and suppresses a cry of pain. His muscles twitch on the gaping wound, his pulse is racing. Huge amounts of blood pour out of his wound. His legs do not longer obey him, but before he falls to the ground, Kakarot and Raditz catch him as they try to carry him to the healer. They hear the crowd squealing as hands are held in front of their mouths.

No one thought about helping them, but then an unknown voice from the crowd screams,

"WAIT! WE CAN HELP!"

Kakarot and Raditz turn synchronously to the voice. Two smooth-headed monks in orange robes run towards them.

"Please follow us, we have a temple just outside the village and the herbals to heal your comrade."

The warriors and monks tie Vegeta on the saddle of one of the horses, while his gaping wound becomes wrapped in fabric he moans loudly under his pain.

Kakarot and Raditz sit on one horse and the other two monks sat on the other. They storm out of the village and pull the horse with the luggage and the injured warrior behind them.

The men storm up a path at the foot of a mountain. The trampling sound of hooves breaks the silence of the riders. Loose stones crash down the mountainside and take even more stones behind them into the valley.

Now they are so high on the mountain that they can recognize the village in full size in the light of the low sun

"Ani-ue."

"Yes, what is it?"

Raditz turns his head to the side so he could hear his brother behind him.

"This man from the market, I'm sure he has something to hide. I don't know if it has anything to do with us, but his steps and fish tower were a code that I'm still going to decipher."

Kakarot's voice comes from the deepest fervour and his eyes start to sparkle. Raditz notices the undertone in Kakarot's voice and says to him: "We can keep an eye on him for the time being, but don't be too sure that he is involved in our cause, we've been here without you for a month and haven't found anything yet."

His little brother decides to remain silent and Raditz takes it as confirmation and gives the horse a smooth kick in the lungs one last time to spurt the last meters.


	7. lightning

Arriving at the destination, a huge Gate stretches in front of them, separating the path from the extensive courtyard. The courtyard was filled with monks all in yellow, orange and grey robes. Behind them is a wide but modest temple in wood and red colours. Kakarot looks further more at the surrounding area, where a bamboo grove spreading up in magnificent size. As soon as the men sat up from their horses, they removed Vegeta and carried him into the temple holding his limbs as they were swarmed by other monks. Vegeta whines in pain.

Every monk know automatically what they need to do: On a wooden plate covered with a white cloth, Vegeta gets layed down as a monks wave bring fabrics to bandage him. Some monks went out for water for cleaning the wound and some to get tools for the surgery. The other part prepares the room, An intoxicating smoke is held over the head of the wounded warrior.

Curious by that smoke, Kakarot asks the monk who eagerly helped them out earlier

"Hey what kind of smoke is that?"

he looks down to the monk who was a bit shorter then him. Kakarot observes the six circles on his forehead and thought he will ask him about that later.

"That smoke helps suppress pain, but I don't know if it will help him, it has to take time to have an effect." he answers.

The wounded warrior's clothes were cut open and removed, his wound is then cleaned by water and wipes are distributed across his body to stop the bleeding.

Kakarot looks on intrigued and curious as the monks jump back and forth. After cleaning the wound, they used a needle and a suture to close the wound.

Vegeta cries out in pain, trying to free himself from the grip of the monks, but to no avail. He is given a paste that smells of herbs on the closed wound and in that next moment Vegeta became quiet and releases a deep breath.

Bandages are wrapped over his body, as he was put on a stretcher, he got carried by four monks into the temple.

"Where will he be brought to , sincerely monk? ", asks Raditz the smaller monk.

He stands right next to the two warriors, his hands were crossed behind his head. He signals to the two warriors to follow him. The smaller one asked the larger monk to join him, but he decides to help clear up the mess.

On the way through the temple, the monk replies to the question of Raditz: "he is transported to our hospital area, so that the monks there, can watch over him. You can follow me, I will guide you to your quarters, because riding through the woods in the dark is too risky. You two can sleep in my and Tienshinhan's quarters. By the way, my name is Krillin and I am honoured to help out the survivors of the Saiyan clan." He grinned from ear to ear.

Surprised by the news, the warrior's faces lit up with a radiant smile.

But Kuririn's face darkens suddenly as he continues to tell, "We were all very upset by the news that reached us from the south. You do not seem to know us anymore, but we once helped you out in the Tsufurujin war 17 years ago. We were your paramedic and supply force. I was only 7 years old and helped out in the temple when the Tsufurujin ambushed us. However, a man came to the aid of the same hairstyle and the same Iaido technique, you used against that aggressive fellow earlier."

He looks at Kakarot and asks him: " isn't it a technique to kill your opponent just with one sword pulling?"

Stunned how much he knows about the inheritated technique in his Family, his face begins to lighten up, "Yes, it is a little bit more complicated than you described it, but still it is correct."

Kuririn's eyes sparkles like those of a child. "Thanks to that technique and the same haircut I was able to tell that you must be the man's youngest son, Kakarot. Bardock-sama saved the lives of us here. Every blow, kick and every punch from him had so much energy and power that he effortlessly defeated the attackers almost unscathed. We children were so excited, each of us wanted to tend to Bardock's wounds and get closer to him. He told us that he has two sons our age, one seemed to look exactly like him and also would pee in bed at the age of six, and his older 11 year old son would bravely help out at the front. "

Kakarot shoots heat in the face all of a sudden and his big brother roared with laughter. "If you only knew Kuririn-san what my little brother actually did!"

Raditz' laugh echoes through the huge hall as they follow Kuririn through, they past a bronze Buddha statue.

They are walking along the courtyard as Kuririn continues to tell, "when I saw you fighting on the market, I saw the specially made scabbard of the Saiyans and thought first you had stolen it, but then I saw Bardocksama's typical hairstyle and how you swung the sword in the Iaido style. Then I knew you were his youngest son, Kakarot."

Krillin directs his gaze on the Ronin with the long hair. "Then you must be the elder son of Bardock-sama, who helped in the war, Raditz, if I'm not mistaken?"

Both warriors nod in confirmation.

An old memory flashes in front of the eyes of Raditz, "I actually remember you monks! You were there as our Medicorps! I even had to go to the infirmary to have an injury on my back. I can still remember how everything was stinking of herbs, how the experienced monks were running back and forth to the screaming and injured ones. I remember how impressed I was how fast the soldiers quietened after getting the herbals."

'But why was there no contact with the Yamagato Temple?'Raditz does not mention this question, because he thinks he might strike a nerve otherwise.

But Kakarot thinks otherwise "I wonder why we did not hear from you anymore and how this alliance could break ...? "

Raditz sighs and gives his little brother an annoyed look. In response Kakarot gives him the 'I don't care' look and just shrugs his shoulders.

Krillin's bright face hardened into a gloomy expression. The memories of the past now seemed like an unbearable burden to him. He lets his head hang while the feeling of guilt slowly spreads in him. "I do not know, I was too young," he lies to the warriors.

Kakarot and Raditz exchange meaningful looks. Kakarot nods agreeing to Raditz that he has exactly the same thought.

They would have to keep an eye on this situation as well.

Later in the evening, the two warriors and the two monks sit around the campfire. The branches crack through the heat, sparks fly to the sky or fall to the ground, the scent of burned scrub and wood covers the noses of the men.

"I have to excuse myself for the trouble to bring you up here. Tienshinhan and I have been here for a while and we always just take most important things with us when we go to the village. That's why we needed to take you here for your friend's surgery. It is quite a beautiful place to stay anyway, so far away from all worldly dandruff, it is more peaceful and you can see the true values of life. Therefore, it is an honour to help an injured person, but I was still surprised that you wanted to rescue him after he tried to kill you ... "asks Krillin sorrowfully and cratches the short-cropped hair on the back of the head.

"We are looking for certain people who can help us in the search for those who are responsible for the massacre of our clan. Unfortunately our comrade Vegeta is otherwise convinced how to approach this situation and tries to accelerate everything, since we have been here for a while and could receive no further information for a month until Kakarot came to us. Kakarot had tracked down a suspicious person on the market, but then we had to stop Vegeta from doing anything stupid and because Kakarot tried to stop him he got frustrated and yes... Well you know the rest. "Raditz tells the two monks.

They were sitting in their gray cloak and yellow kesa and seemed shocked.

"We first thought we would have to step in and settle the dispute between you, but when Tienshinhan realized that Kakarot was just trying to dodge to knock him out with a blow, he held me back and we were waiting to help you to hurry, as soon as possible Vegeta-san could not move anymore. But good to know that it was just a matter of disagreement and nothing worse." Krillin seems obviously relieved at the outcome of the situation. He sighs loudly and lays a hand on his neck.

"As I heard you are one of the few survivors of the massacre, are there any eyewitnesses who survived this genocide? I would like to learn more so that we monks can use our eyes and ears to help out. Did the enemies leave traces, what would be an indication of who they were? What did they look like? What armour did they carry?" Tienshinhan knew it was inappropriate to question so much, yet he could not help but seek a solution.

"My little brother Kakarot is the only survivor we've ever found. The others from our group were members of a special Force for our clan on a way to an important mission. Anyway Kakarot, I know it's against the way of a samurai to not let you heal and I know it's very hard for you, harder than all for us combined, but for the mission and the future we need at least the most important information from your point of view."

Raditz turns to his brother, but with a determined expression in his eyes.

Kakarot looks distressed in the flames.

'For the mission and for the future'.He turns his gaze into the distance, far away, up to the mountains. The majestic sight evokes a warm feeling in his chest. The mountains appear in different shades of blue, the further away the brighter the blue tone. The sky above the mountains was blue-violet in colour, while the sky above it dipped to darkness. The lights of the village in the valley of the mountain shine like little fireflies in the distance. Although the sun has long ago disappeared, she comforts Kakarot's sore soul with her last rays of light before he sees her until the next dawn. 'Everything that I long for, is Inner peace', he replies in his head.

He takes a deep breath and gathers his energy, because what he is about to tell will not be easy: "I am the last detectable witness of the massacre, only because of the sacrifice of our father ... We were running out of time to prepare for the attack. We could only protect a couple of women through Seppuku, like my mother or my sister-in-law. But the enemies were fast like the flashes of the Kami Raijin. They stood in front our gates in masses, like if they would come out of nowhere. The warriors that were left, defended the village as long as they could, but they too fell one after the other. My father and I suspected that they had been planning this attack for a long time and were waiting for the opportunity that our very best samurai would be summoned to the shogun to perform a special mission. They were all masked or completely hidden except for their eyes. They wore black Hakama pants, carried only light equipment, and attacked at dusk. At first they seemed there were only assassins, but then their reinforcement arrived, burning everything down. Even every fallen one from their own ranks was burned to ashes. However, I managed to steal the short sword and the bag from one of the enemies, but Muten Roshi-sama took the items away from me and kept them hidden."

Kakarot forces himself to suppress the memory of his father, so he repeats to tell himself'I am a samurai, a warrior, I must let go of the earthly pain'he clenches his fists to concentrate. Sitting upright he looks at the two monks in front of him.

A heavy silence hovers in the air until Krillin clears his throat. "I can only guess what you've been through, Kakarot-san, but you really have a hard time behind you. However, we should use the information we have available now. We will certainly be able to filter information from it. "

Kakarot looks at the two men and wonders why they invest so much time for strangers. ,Krillin-san with the full moon - face is a very open and accommodating person, Tienshinhan-san, on the other hand, seems calculating and distant. How do they get along? Is it their religious principles that help us or is there more to it? I will definitely keep an eye on this Tienshinhan-san. '

"As I said, I suspect that the attack was planned very far ahead and they were numerically superior to us. I also suspect that the special mission was part of the plan to be honest. "

Raditz winces at this statement. 'All along, I also had this feeling that something was off with the mission'. He crossed his arms over his chest and pondered.

With a look at his big brother, Kakarot knew that Raditz had the same thought.

Tienshinhan takes the word, "If so, what happened to your shogun? Who were these killers in black? What did their masks look like? What was engraved on the Shōtō? What was in the bag? Who is involved and with and what is the motive? Do you have enemies? What if your shogun was involved? What if he was just a shogi pun in the big game? Can the shogun be innocent or did he pursue other purposes? Do you have answers to these questions? "

Raditz and Kakarot are amazed at the monk's insight, so the long-haired ronin says, "You could have become a great strategist, Tienshinhan-san. Your insights of situations and Kuririn 's ability to bond even difficult people, it would be an honour if you would join us." Raditz's eyes light up at the thought that two new recruits would join.

"We are first and foremost connected to our obligations to the temple. We can not just join a bunch of bloodthirsty warriors. "

Tienshinhan is determined to remain loyal to his duties, but he also knew that Kuririn would not be so easily deterred from doing something good. 'That damn idealist,' he thinks.

"Tienshinhan-senpai, you can do whatever you want, but I feel it in my stomach that this is our new duty. This group will also need some healers if Vegeta San and Kakarot San are in the same room." Krillin grins over both ears and extends Kakarot's arm in friendly terms.

Tienshinhan rolls his eyes ,and my job will be to protect you, my old friend'and nods his approval to Kuririn.

Kakarot releases his arms from his entangled position and reaches out a hand to Tienshinhan. He takes his hand and felt immediately an immense power in Kakarot's Body.' I have never felt so much Chi in a human's body! Does Kakarot San even know it?'

A cold shower ran down his spine.

Somehow his instincts let him know that this warrior was something else and it would be better to respect him.

After a while sitting in front of the campfire, talking about the the world outside these islands, a world full of sand, other religions, they needed to head backto the to the temple. On the way to sleeping quarters, Krillin and Tienshinhan talk about how to join a troupe without complications, while Kakarot and his big brother are hot-tempered about who should stay with Vegeta and who will ride into the village at dawn should.

"IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE THAT I WAIT FOR VEGETA! AS SOON AS HE OPENS EYES AND SEES ME HE WILL AGAIN TRY TO KILL ME! "

"AND I SAY THAT YOU BETTER STAY HERE TO LEARN FROM THE MONKS HOW TO STAY COVERED IN ORDER TO NOT GET INVOLVED AGAIN IN BATTLES, BECAUSE IT WILL BE TOO DANGEROUS FOR OUR MISSION IF THE ASSASSINS WILL FIND US! "

"I WILL AT LEAST FOCUS ON THE MISSION INSTEAD OF CARING FOR FEMALE SOCIETY!"

The two Ronin are meanwhile wrestling each other to the ground to clarify their point of view.

"I MAKE THE KURTISANES OUR ALLIES, YOU JACKASS!"

Raditz rammed a clenched fist into his brother's stomach.

Kakarot reacts to it by squeezing the air out of his lungs and clings his clenched fists on his brother's shoulders.

Tienshinhan and Kuririn look at the two warriors perplexed.

"So I still think that's a bad idea to join them", tells Tienshinhan to Krillin.

"We'll get along with them. Besides, we once wanted to help people and purify our souls through that , if I remember correctly, these were once your own words"with a cheeky smile, hands behind his head, he walks besides his Senpai.

"That's why we do not need to join the most combative people of all," he grimly looks into the broad grin of his protégé. As he sighs to himself, his attention glides to the two brothers who wrestle in front of him.

Kakarot has meanwhile forced his brother to his knees and holds his arm tightly twisted. Raditz frees himself and throws his brother to the ground. The next moment he throws himself on his little brother with full physical strength.

Tienshinhan sighs again, 'hopefully we will come out alive out of this. '


	8. the might of the Kami of the sky

The loud chirping birds announce the day. Kakarot has been awake since the first bright rays breaking through the horizon, training his kata in the courtyard of the temple. He closes his eyes and focuses his thoughts on his breath. Empties his mind. He listens to the rustle of the bamboo leaves in the wind. His fists are moving in the ever-recurring fast beat rhythm.

Suddenly the air around him stands still. Loose leaves fall to the ground. A strange tingling sensation on the back of his neck warns him about the fast-moving monk's staff, who is barely hold-off by his right hand. He encloses the staff and opens his eyes. In front of him is a monk in an orange and yellow robe.

" **Reflexes as sharp as a Katana**," says the monk.

A shudder drives Kakarot through the mark as he recognized the familiar voice.

"**Who are you?"**

"**In you dormant an ancient, almost extinct power, which was once attributed to Izanagi okami. You stand at the end of a path and you will have to decide, because the people of Izanagi and Izanami will raise an era of upheaval. Darkness or light. Yin or Yang. Will you listen to your ancient instinct? "**

Kakarot scrutinizes the man's face precisely as the man talks confusing stuff.

"**I do not know who you are and I do not understand what you're trying to tell me, but what I know is that you're getting in the way of my training**."

The bar between them starts to glow. ,What the heck is going on here?'

The man's pupils twitch aimlessly side to side.

'Is this man blind?'Kakarot tries to see through the strange man, but nothing about him feels real. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His hands are shaking. His breath is heavy. ,What is wrong with me? I can not control my body anymore!'

"**The future lies in the hands of the elect in whose veins the power of Izanagi and Izanami flows. Son of a brave hero; dark clouds are rising on the horizon. Find the woman in whose blood the power of Izanami flows,**" the strange man lets go of his red monk staff and takes a few steps **backwards,"one woman is distinguished by outstanding bow and sword skills. One will be a key. "**

Anger germinates in Kakarot. "**Enough with this jumble talk! There are so many female warriors who can handle multiple weapons, and what do you mean by, 'find the one with Izanami' s blood'? I have no business with this, take your stick back and never show your face again!** "

The Stranger turns his back on Kakarot and walks away in a weightless gait.

"**When the time is right, our paths will cross again... my son."**

As the monk disappeares to dust, it remains a confused ronin and the red monk stick, which begins to glow in his hands.

"**What kind of strange things are you up to now, little brother? Who was this monk? What did he want from you? Do you know each other? What did he say?"** Raditz storms anxiously about his brother, towards him.The first thing he catches is the red monk's stick.

Kakarot hears Raditz's voice breaking the heavy silence and was relieved that he did not imagine this situation.

"**Damn ani-ue, you're such a pain in the ass! Do you even breathe between all of those questions? "**

When he sees the concern in the eyes of his big brother, he sits down on the cool floor of the yard. He tries to realize what happened and what the monk wanted from him. ,_What's going on here? Why do some seem to know more than me?' _His big brother sits next to him.

"**I do not know what he is and where he comes from, okay? like he was not from this world. He said I should find a woman who stands out in bow and sword arts. It would be the key, but what he did not say, except that some dark clouds would rise and the people of Izanagi and Izanami would be in an age of upheaval. No idea what he was trying to say. "**

Raditz scratched thoughtfully on the back of his head, "**So for me that just sounds like crazy ramblings, little brother. This whole talk of the future, destiny and so on, should not be taken seriously. And you're nobody who cares about that anyway. But what surprised me the most was not your attitude telling him to piss off."**

"**In the beginning, I politely asked him to leave me alone, but something about him caught my interest, so I tried to analyze him further. But how many times I think about it back and forth, I still don't understand it. "**

"**What exactly do you mean by that?"** Raditz can not imagine what he would expect because he has never seen his little brother so upset. He looks him in the eyes and yet another time, sees the torment in his eyes that he was trying to conceal.

"**Ani-ue ... he ... He had the same voice as our father."**

* * *

"**As I said, we will meet in the city as soon as Vegeta has recovered from his wounds. Until then you will look for the dealer of last time and keep him under surveillance. Caulifla and you care for more informants. Do not forget to inform Nappa-sensei. He will be able to give you some advice. Look for the man from the land of sand. And I beg you, do not get involved in brawling, little brother, it's very important to stay anonymous so that the assassins can not track us down."**

Kakarot nods to his big brother from the saddle of his horse.

"**I will keep an eye on my mission, but I can not guarantee that ruckus won't be made**."

He winks at him and rides off before his big brother can hold him a speech.

Closely followed by Tienshinhan and his closest cronies, he rides in the direction of the Village.

At the edge of the path, loose boulders break through the drums of heavy horses' hooves. They neigh and snort among them in the rhythm of the quivering earth. At the front Kakarot rides his shiny black horse. Tienshinhan kicks his mount in the ribs to make it gallop faster. He rides to the top of the column, to the side of Kakarot.

"**Kakarot-san, there's a river near the bottom of the mountain, we should let the horses drink a little before we go to the village."**

The drumming of the hooves stuns the ears, but Kakarot ignores the pain in his ears and nods to the monk. Focusing his gaze on the distance,

"**Please giude us to the waterhole, because you know this area better than I do."**

The summit of the mountain is now within reach, the monk suddenly gives the sign to turn right into it in the dense forest. The men rode followed in the direction of the sign, into the dense forest.

Kakarot takes a look at the roofs of the forest. The sunlight is filtered by the green colour of the infinite leaves and throws a green light into the forest. Moss grew into the crowns of the trees. The muddy ground indicates a nearby waterhole. Mud, which is whirled up by the hooves, splashes on the leather shoes of the warrior. The cold of the morning whips him in the face and the breath in front of his face forms warm drops of water that are backlashed in his face through the headwind. His hands freeze with cold, but he does not manage to move them. He listens to the deep wheezing of his Mustang to silence his thoughts. '_Who was this strange man?'_He ponders. The ground beneath him becomes more and more liquid until a waterhole gets in sight.

The horses come to a standstill, their riders lead them to the waterhole and let them drink water there. Kakarot removes his muzzle from his horse's mouth, crawls it on his forehead and sits next to a tree. He sighs and rises his head to the skyward.

His thoughts whirl around the mysterious man as a scream pulls him out of his trance. He looks at Tienshinhan to make sure that he has not imagined it, because the early morning events distorted his view of reality. However, the tall monk looks too in the direction of the scream. He wasn't dreaming it. As he realized it, Kakarot jumps to his feet and braces himself for battle. He gives the monks the sign to stay quiet and wait for his signal.

The silence is broken by the loud screams of women. Burrows of men sound through the trees.'If my ears are not mistaken, there are 6 men, a fighting woman and a frightened woman.'Determined to help the them, he trudges to his horse and reaches for his sword and Shōtō. He asks Tienshinhan and another monk with the help of a hand sign to follow him. As he runs in the direction of the shout he throws the Katana into his scabbard and ties his Shōtō tightly to the leather belt.

The screaming gets louder and louder. Kakarot's footsteps are getting faster and faster, his lungs pumping more and more oxygen into his body. His pulse hits him to the neck. The damp clay soil mottles his legs. The wind carries the screaming to his ears. '_Please do not let me be too late!'_Kakarot storms the last few meters and stops abruptly. His pulse beats like a drum in his ears. His heart beats and his instinct reacted on his own: the man who urges the woman to the ground must die. He pulls out his Shōtō, aims; and throws.

'_No! That can not happen! I have to fight back! He must not strip me of my dignity!'_The smelly man over her spreads her legs. She looks into his eyes and sees only lust. She hits him in the face. But he doesn't let up. "**LET ME GO, I DO NOT WANT THIS!!"**

Chichi's thoughts jump wildly in her head, looking for a way out. She tries to escape through wriggling and moving up but he punches her between her legs. She tries to get her legs under her own control as she kicks him in the face but her legs gets immediately pinned up with short blades. She cries in pain and wiggles but tight grips hold her hands down. A quiet whimper escapes from her chest. She looks to at her friend Bulma, who is forced by two men to watch the act. She's constantly sobbing, crying desperately for her name. She tries to break free but gets only beaten harder. Downcast, her head is raised and her eyes held open. "**Chi-chan, I'm so sorry!"** Chichi sees her tears streaming down her face uninterruptedly.

'_It is hopeless!'Chichi thinks. The man above her spits in her face. He hits her several times. All she can do is watch how the next fist approves her eye. A numb pain followed afterwards. He grins lustfully at her. 'Is this my fate?'_Is her last thought as the man rips off her clothes. He starts to untie the knot on his hakama. One last heavy tear flows down her cheek.

'_Okami Izanagi, Kami of the sky, please protect me!'_

Suddenly, a Shōtō hisses in front of her eyes and pervades the man's mouth above her. His scream of pain is distorted. The knife breaks out from both sides of the cheeks. Panicking, he throws himself backwards to the ground and tries to pull the knife out of his mouth. At that moment, a man in a forest-green Armour storms towards him and with his full force thrusts his foot into his skull. Chichi only notices that the hands on her wrists have disappeared. But her first thought is her friend Bulma, who tries to crawl to her.

"**Bulma-chan** ..." she whispers as she reaches for her hand.

Both girls are barely aware of what is happening around them, they only know that they are out of danger. Crying and trembling, they cling to each other, hoping that they will survive everything.

Kakarot roars like a wild animal. He hurls one of the bandits around the legs wildly. Kills several other bandits. He throws him aside to give the next one a direct kick in the face. Tienshinhan jumps to the next one and hits him in the middle of the solar plexus. Several arrows shoot down a few attackers. Kakarot rams his elbow against the opponent's throat as he attacks him from behind. One of the bastards tries to sprint on the crouching girls. However, Kakarot notices it early enough and attacks him with his full body weight. On the floor he punches the man's face several times. The bandit tries to drag the warrior down. Resists with arms and legs. He grabs Kakarot by the neck and presses. The warrior's lungs pain from lack of air. His head is about to burst. His veins on his face try to escape from his skin. The warrior grabs the bandit's wrist. Twist his elbow. A crackling reaches his ears '_His arm is now dislocated. Next, I'm going to take his breath away'_, thinks Kakarot . He whirls the man around. Keeps his head between his arms, pinching his neck. As throat is tight in the triangle, he presses the man's trachea.'_That's not enough!_'He pulls up his shoulders. Displaces even more air from the trachea. The man fights back. Scratches and writhes until he sags. Kakarot pushes him away.

Hurried, he whirls around to Chichi. Concerned about her condition, he carefully raises her head by supporting her neck. Her face is full of blood and dark hematomas. Her eyes are red from crying. The shock this sight causes him is deep. Anger inflames inside him. His ears are barely aware of the fight behind him. His hands are shaking with anger. He clinches his fists.

Kakarot carefully lays her head down and asks Bulma to take care of her. Then he whirls around and breaks the leg of the first best enemy he saw, , until all the barbarian's bones were broken. Slowly he faces the last ones. "**YOU WILL REGRET TO BE BORN,"** growls Kakarot .

The two remaining men look at each other nervously and back to the warrior, who stands at the side of the monk. A dark aura surrounds him. None of them will get away.

* * *

'_She's the strongesf of both of us and yet, she lies almost unconscious on my lap. She has never been so devastated.'_ Heavy tears fall from her eyes and her mouth whispers soft, incomprehensible words.'Drops of water fall on the face of Chichi. Hastily, Bulma wipes his face._'I have to stop being so weak. Chichi has almost lost her life just to protect me weakling. I have to learn to assert myself. NEVER again will I allow someone to humiliate me.' _As this decision is determined by her grief, dark twinkle glows in the eyes of Bulma.

A breeze strokes her cheek and she leaves her trance. Bulma sees Kakarot as he stands over them and looks pained. The hate of the past has disappeared in his eyes and now she sees only pained eyes.

"Kakarot-san, thank you for coming, just in time before ..." She dared not utter those words. With reddened eyes she looks into his eyes, which changes now to cold, onyx stones as she speaks. He kneels down beside Chichi and gently touches her neck with only two fingers, but Bulma does not understand why. She watches him as he leans over Chichi's chest and gently presses his ear against her.

"**What are you doing?"** She asks him suspiciously. He looks her in the eye because he noticed the undertone and now looks slightly irritated.

**"I have endured for her heartbeat. Since I could not feel a pulse on her neck, I had to tell it through her chest if she is still alive**", he hisses in her face.

She begins to open her lips, but with a look in his eyes, she falls silent. Carefully, he lifts Chichi's head, which lies in Bulma's lap, reaches under her legs and pulled her effortlessly in his arms. A jab of jealousy is spreading throughout her. She sighs and pushes her thoughts aside.

"**Can you walk Bulma-san**?" Asks a gentle voice. She looks to the voice and recognizes the monk who has shot in the fight with arrows. She nods and he extends her hand.

"**Forgive me the rudeness not to have introduced myself, my name is Yamcha and I am also a monk of the Yamagato temple."**

,_Chichi is so badly injured, she barely breathes and her pulse is very weak. If only I had been faster she would not be lying so limply in my arms now._ 'Kakarot's eyes are constantly moving to Chichi in his arms to make sure she's still alive. He hardly notices that Tienshinhan is walking beside him.

"**Kakarot-san. We should return to the temple to treat the ladies**."

Without leaving his eyes on Chichi he answers: "**There will certainly be a female healer in the village. Your temple is full of men and I do not want her to get scared when she's conscious again. You and Yamcha-san are sprinting ahead, keeping bandages, blankets, and clean water ready, telling the others to saddle up the horses and get ready to leave when I get there. "**

Tienshinhan cought a glimpse of the power hidden in Kakarot while he fought back on back with him he and could not stop to see him as a leader since he felt the chi in him.

"**At your command Kakarot-Sama**. "

He runs back to Yamcha and casually tells him about the instructions as they storm toward the waterhole.

Kakarot notices too late how he was titled by Tienshinhan and does not know how to handle it. He is not used to being treated with such respect.'_I should tell him later that I did not deserve the position of a leader and that we are all in the same position. Anyway I need to get fast there, I won't allow Chichi to die in my hands_.'

Chichi mumbles unconscious his Name: "Kakar...ot.."

He raises her head close to his ear and whispers in gentle way: "**You fought like a wolf, but now it's up to me to save you. **"

He felt his chi raising.

"**Bulma-san stay close, we need to get out of here, fast."** As he finished his he began to storm forward through the forest, with a unconscious Chichi in his arms and followed by the the blonde Miko behind him.


	9. Thirty-six stratagems

Tienshinhan sees Kakarot storming out of the woods with the black-haired, well-guarded Miko in his arms, closely followed by the blonde Miko. 'How is it possible that he still looks so calm and determined? Where does he get this energy from? Yamcha and I have all the materials ready so that he can put them on the blanket. I was expecting him to try to bandage her injuries. He pulls the cloak off his body and covers her torn clothes. He orders one of the other monks to hand him his water tank. He tears a piece of fabric from his shirt, makes it moist and gently dabs young Miko's face. All the blood on her face had hidden her beauty, but now I can see all her bruises, her split lips and her open wounds on her forehead, temple and jaw.'I knelt next to Kakarot to give him the bandages.'She must have lost a lot of blood because her white blouse is red like a tsubaki flower. I watched Kakarot-sama like him, tried to tuck open wounds with rags of his clothes and then bandaged them. It was strange how calm he was there, but I think he was furious inside. Kakarot takes her hands in his and controls how severe the injuries are. When I see her, I catch my breath because her hands have clear traces of the fight. They are cracked, smeared with blood and bruises on the wrists that are almost black. He carefully wraps her in his cloak and lifts her up on his arms. I run after him and help him to mount his horse with the Miko in his arms. With the help of his obi's, he straps her tightly and gives us the command to mount our horses. '

"Tienshinhan-san and Yamcha-san please form a colony in front of me. Bulma-san you ride next to me and help me watch over Chichi-san. Hajime-san please hand Bulma-san over to one of the load horses. You three form a column behind me; arm yourself with a bow and arrow. The rest of the people return to the temple and report back to us with your healing medicine. I will make sure that you can find us. "

'One after the other bows to him as if it were a matter of course to follow his orders. There is something special about this Ronin and I'll get to the bottom of it. '

* * *

When the riders storm out of the forest, the troops split arrow-shaped at the end of the colony. The rising heat from the horses' bodies mixes with the morning freshness. The trampling of the horse's hooves is deafening. In a hasty sprint, the hooves drum on the loamy, stony ground. The riders fly over the determined and focused through the grass landscape.

Kakarot looks at the village that towers far away.'I'll save you, whatever it costs,'he repeats in his mind like a mantra. A panting breath arouses his curiosity. He turns his head to Bulma and notices that she is out of breath.

"Bulma-san hold out, we will have reached the village soon."

She flinches when he says her name. She stares at him with wide eyes. She is not sure if she understood him correctly because the headwind is blowing into her ears. Slowly, she nods to him. Filled with his encouraging words, she is surrounded by a heat in her body that gives her new strength. She leans forward to defy the headwind when she gets a strange thought: 'What if I join Kakarot-San to get stronger? He has trained me and Chichi before. Would he take the time to train me? Can I get closer to him then? 'While she ponders about it, she slowly feels her way around the topic.

"Kakarot-san ... may I ask you for something?"

Surprised by the question, he suddenly turns his head back to Bulma. "What is it about, Bulmasan?"

"Could I stay with you for a while so I can learn how to use a sword?"

Panic spreads inside him as the monk's words come to the fore of his consciousness:'"A woman… outstanding ability …. sword art "- is Bulmasan the one woman?"He pushes the thought aside. "Of course, no problem, but I can only teach you when Chichisan is conscious again."

When they see the gates of the entrance to the village, Kakarot gives the command to stop.

'Be careful not to get attention'echoes it in his mind. "I suggest that we don't all march into the village together. A group of monks, a Ronin with a strange hairstyle and torn clothes, and two seriously injured Mikos would cause too much talk in the village."He looks over at Yamcha, who was about the same height as himself. A brilliant idea flashes through his mind. "Yamchasan, I need your robe."

Several startled faces stare at Ronin as he begins to undress.

* * *

"Stay where you are!"Calls one of the guards. "You can't just walk in here, even if you're just two poor monks!"

Annoyed, the guard trudges to the two monks with straw hats on their heads and notices that one of them is carrying a large, heavy sack on his right shoulder.

"Show me what's in your sack."The two monks don't even begin to look worried, which spurs the guard all the more. "Since these two barbarians took the market place apart two days ago, everyone can be suspect here, so bring it along the sack I confiscate it in the name of the daimyo! "

"Forgive me, guardian, but these are just medication, blankets and clothes for the poor, sick and homeless of this village. We, from the monastery of the Yamagato Temple, want to share our property with the poor to give them love and warmth because of the wars and battles to which they fell victim and are now seeking protection here. Whoever helps in an emergency will find real redemption, "says the monk without the sack on his shoulder. The other shifts his weight to straighten the canvas bag, but keeps his face covered.

Bored by the speech, the guard yawned at the two monks. "Just leave me alone with your talk of salvation! I have neither the nerves nor the time for you beggars! Go, but don't you dare making trouble in the village otherwise I will hang you personally. "

"Yes, honored guardian," says the monk.

When they are out of sight, the two speed up their steps to bring the seriously injured Miko to the healer as quickly as possible.

* * *

"I'm going to exchange three horses for four of your women's kimonos and two Keikogi."Yamaha's tip he got earlier from Kakarot is aware that horses in this area are as valuable as any Ōban gold coin.

The seller generously hands him more of his goods than that requested. Yamcha looks questioningly into the seller's eyes. "You rarely see such magnificent and strong horses, my boy! Two more animals and I'll hand over my entire booth to you straight away! ", grunts the man as he laughs heartily to himself.

'Kakarot-sama hit the mark with his guess', thinks Yamcha and smiles. He hands a bundle of clothes to the veiled woman next to him and puts the rest in the cloak pouch he carries with him. Yamcha turns to her and looks into her eyes, which reflect the play of colors between the sky and the aquatic plants in the ocean. She looks at his face for a moment and turns her eyes away from him. But this brief moment ignites an overwhelming fire in his heart, which, like the sound waves of a temple gong, vibrates through his body into every single cell of his body.

* * *

The wooden door suddenly smashes open with a loud clash. Splinters of wood fly through the air as the door crashes out of the frame and to the ground. Two young women scream and jump into each other's arms. The morning light shimmers in the thawing morning mist and surrounds the two men like a mysterious coat.

"Bring your master to us immediately, it's an emergency!", booms it from the athletic man's chest.

Without asking, he gently places the heavy sack on the tatami mats and removes the linen sack from the body of the Miko. One girl storms into the back of the hut while the other girl takes care of the injured Miko. She holds a musk-smelling paste under her nose and with immediate effect she wakes up from her unconsciousness. With widespread eyes, she looks around the room and sees the strange face next to her. Immediately the Shoji door is smashed open and an older woman whirls in the room with a load of fresh and dried herbs, closely followed by the girl with a number of bandages, instruments and clear water.

The healer examines the Miko lying on the floor and looks over at the two worried-looking men; "You two will disappear from here until we are finished!"says the healer as she pulls the men out and. easily hoists the wooden door and slams it shut. The monk and the Ronin gaze at the door in front of their noses at the same time with their mouths open. They look at each other in confusion. "Did a woman just throw us out?"asks Tienshinhan.

Kakarot takes the straw hat off his head, rubs his hair and lets a shaky breath escape from his lungs. "We should be careful of this woman, my friend, otherwise she'll skewer us and eat us for breakfast," he jokes, giving Tienshinhan a big grin to both ears.

Kakarot's contagious smile and sarcastic way of dealing with situations animates Tienshinhan to feel happiness for the first time in a long time. He gives him a big smile, too. A spontaneous thought lets him take out his cloth bag and takes out the two onigiri and offers one to Kakarot. 'Friend, he said that so casually, and yet I feel how real it feels.'

"Kakarot-sama you should eat something. You haven't eaten since the beginning of the day."

Kakarot reaches for the onigiri and stuffs the whole rice ball in his mouth "Tieshihasa, yu haf tho sop mixing with shama." He speaks with his mouth full.

Tienshinhan laughs at this bubbly behaviour.Born leader or not, in the end he is still 22 years young."I did not understand a single word," he laughs again and bites off his onigiri.

Kakarot swallows the lump completely, pats his chest frantically and exhales with relief. "I said you should stop naming me Sama! I am not used to it and consider you to be an equal anyway, so it sounds very strange to my ears."With a slightly tilted head he looks shyly at Tienshinhan while scratching the back of his head.

"Well we will see but I reallywonder how you knew that the guardian would let us pass?" says Tienshinhan thoughtfully.

"Have you ever seen a guardian that looked happy and loved his Job? No? Me neither. Don't be offended but no body wants to listen to boring speeches especially when the sun just raised."as Tienshinhan get it explained he immediately starts to laugh. He was palming his forehead for not being able to see it that simple. Kakarot couldn't handle but to laugh with him about his blindness.

"My father teached me thirty-six stratagem how to deal with an opponent, and this was one of them."he smiles towards the sky and was thankful for his great training sessions with his father." You had a smart father, Kakarot. Good thing he teached you everything he knew, otherwise we were all a hopeless bunch of people."

* * *

Exhausted from the exertions of the early day, she leans carefully against the facade of a Minka house and sighs quietly to herself. Yamcha notices it immediately, turns on the heel to rush to help her."Bulmasan! Do you feel dizzy?! "

Bulma loosens the fabric that covers her mouth and gives him a half-hearted smile. "I'm just a little exhausted and I'm not sure how to make it to the meeting point."Her pupils jump to the side to look at him directly, but she is aware of the effect this has on him.

"I could take you to the meeting point if it weren't drawing so much attention."He laughs nervously and takes hold of the back of the neck, "but you can brace yourself on my shoulder if you want to."As he says that his cheeks are getting redder and redder.

'Exactly what I expected.' thinks Bulma think. She straightens up and runs towards him without taking her eyes off him. When she stands in front of him and looks up at him through her long eyelashes, he almost seems to overturn with nervousness. "Yamcha-san please help me, I have no strength left to walk to the meeting point alone."

Yamcha looks into her almond-shaped eyes, which fix him with a puppy look."I wouldn't be a monk if I didn't rush to help others. It would be an honor for me to be able to help you, Bulma-san. "

* * *

"How long could it possibly take for the other to join us? I said they should come IMMEDIATELY after finishing their business at the market! Chichisan keeps whimpering and screaming and I'm slowly losing my nerve! "Kakarot is impatiently pacing in front of the healer's door as the loud noise from inside stops. Finally the door is opened a crack.

"The gentleman who responds to the name Kakarot should enter. The Miko wants to talk to them."

Kakarot takes his hat and rushes past the girl before she has finished the sentence. In no time he stands over Chichi and looks at her associations. Her half face is wrapped in fabric and her whole body smells of penetrating herbs.

Her original clothing has disappeared. She's covered by a blanket and a few bandages cover her body. At the sight, the knot of tension loosens, absent-mindedly kneeling beside her head. "Healer, what about the Miko? Will she make it? "

The healer sits on the other side of Chichi's head and gently strokes the Miko over the hair. "She is very strong. She'll make it, but she's not over the mountain yet. "The woman looks at him with eagle's eyes.'Why does he look so familiar to me?'

Kakarot notices their inspecting looks and tries to cover his face more with the straw hat. "Dear Healer, would it be possible for me to watch over the Miko until she recovers?"

When the healer is about to contradict, a soft, low voice comes out of the lips of the Miko: "Kakar ... ot ... sa ... please ... stay ... with ... me ..."Chichi tries to raise her hand so that she can prevent him from getting up. When her hand starts to shake in pain, Kakarot unexpectedly grabs her hand and puts it back on her stomach. He wraps her hand around his callused, rough hand, which shows grazes and small blisters from fighting. Kakarot looks up from her hand to her face and watches her smile at him with sleepy, half-opened eyes.

He returns her smile with a heartwarming look in his eyes.

"Dear Mikosan, you wanted to speak to me?" he blurts out.

"Kakar... ot.. san, I.. I ha-have.. an important message... that needs... to be addressed to the Master of... the Yamagato Temple."Chichi whispers. Her pupils twitch quickly to the healer and back to the Ronin.

Kakarotto's insightful mind immediately recognizes the problem and therefore turns its attention to the healer. "As a monk of the Yamagato Temple, I have to ask you to leave the room because it is confidential information."

The woman bows and quietly leaves the room with her assistants.


	10. The Dark side of the Bushidō

Sitting cross-legged, Raditz is watching the monks doing their morning meditation exercises while tipping one matcha tea after another when he hears a bestial roar, closely followed by the clattering sound of objects falling down on the ground. He pauses to analyse the sounds when he realizes that Vegeta has just woken up. '_Damn it, why does Vegeta always have to be so grumpy when he wakes up. The best thing to do is to hurry up to him before he does any more damage.'_

He hastily puts down his tea cup and runs past the monks, who is looking stressed now. He runs through the main hall past the giant Buddha statue. By slithering and sliding he stops in front of the healers' quarters and opens the door.

As if a battlefield were in front of his eyes, herbs are scattered on the floor, also like the students, healers and objects. Grand Master Korin, whom Raditz met after his brother's departure, stands with his wooden stick protecting and three young monks from Vegeta. Vegeta looks like a tiger who would wait for the right moment to jump at the throat of its prey.

"**GO TO THE UNDERWORLD OF IZANAMI OR WHATEVER HELL YOU BELIEVE IN! I DEMAND YOU TO TELL WHICH ONE OF THOSE BRATS STOLE MY CLOTHES!"** Vegeta roars out of his chest as he stands in his underwear.

Almost amused by Vegeta's ignorance, Raditz marches on him.

As he approaches him, Vegeta realised Raditz' shadow in the last moment. But it was too late. A huge fist flying towards him when Raditz finally knockes him out.

"**You're a fucking madman! "** growls Raditz at the unconscious Ronin lying on the floor.

He turns his head to the Grand Master. "**Master Korin, are you all well? How did this happen?"**

"**Let me explain everything when we took care of the injured and the room no longer looks like after an earthquake."** Replies Master Korin while the frightened children cry and cling to his Haori. The sight of the children reminds him of a little girl that he has long forgotten. Old feelings of guilt and cruel memories of the Tsufurujin war uncontrollably pave the way into his consciousness:

"_Uncle Nappa stop! The girl needs her mother! "I desperately try to keep Uncle Nappa from hurting the girl's mother. But he kept beating her__ "A SAMURAI OF THE SAIYAJIN CLAN NEVER SHOWS COMPASSION, RADITZ! NEVER FORGET THAT! THIS WOMAN IS AN ENEMY AND THEREFORE SHE MUST DIE! " yells Uncle Nappa at me.__ "But Uncle, she had only defended herself to protect her daughter! One of the Tsufurujin clan would never have waited to kill us!" I only saw the girl trying to hide behind her mother, while her mother was tied up on the clay floor. Both female have silky-black hair and like the seeds of a watermelon shaped faces. I couldn't stand Uncle Nappa doing this and jumped on his back. But then Vegeta beat me half to death. He was just eight years old. I kept hearing him beating the words "A samurai must be hard and cold-blooded" into me. The last thing I saw was how the brave woman spitts in Uncle Nappa's face. As a result he breaks her neck. It was so terrible to hear how the little girl started screaming hysterically and Uncle Nappa just hit her brutally in the guts to silence her._

"**Raditz-san? Are you feeling well? You were somewhere else for a moment." ** Raditz blinked at the master in confusion. '_How long have I been lost in my thoughts?'_ With wide-open eyes and half-open mouth, he looked at Master Korin. He blinked briefly to drive the memory away. "**All fine. I just remembered something. So where do we start first, revered master? "**

"**Please sweep the floor. We can no longer use the herbs. Then please bring your comrade back to his quarters and tie him up. I will take care of the injured and scared children. "**

At that moment two monks burst into the room, completely confused and perplexed by the state of the room.

Raditz' face starts to glow as he recognizes one of the two monks. "**Kuririn san! Perfectly timing! You can help me clean up here! "**

* * *

"**Vegeta-san has caused a lot of chaos, but I'm glad that we're finally done. I can't believe he's so brutal. Was he always like that, Raditz san? "**

As the monks and Raditz finished cleaning they decided to take a break by a cup of tea.

"**I think that fool was born this way. I can'remember a single day when he wasn't devilish. But he comes right after his father, who was like that, too. Of course as a tribal leader you have a great responsibility, but it's no excuse to use, drill, abuse and torture his own sons in order to form them as a weapon. If my father would've treated me and my brother like this, we would've run wild, too. Although he is brutal and merciless, he always has brain-cracking strategies in store that costs many lives, but the result speaks for itself."** Raditz and Kuririn sit at the tea table with another monk named Sai. Raditz meanwhile gulps his green tea down his throat to moisten it. "**Thanks to Okami Izanagi, Vegeta's younger brother is just a shy, fragile boy who has nothing to do with brutality. He is practically his brother's counterpart, full of compassion and poetry." **Raditz smiles to himself, as he knows how much it pisses Vegeta off and therefore he never spoke to his brother.

"**Where's his brother now?"** Asks Sai.

"**He is ... on the way, but will be back soon."**

"**Why isn't he with his big brother?"** asks Sai again.

Raditz got a bad feeling. '_None of these monks would ever be so ask so many questions.'_ He eyed Sai sceptically. **"I can't tell you that because there are things that shouldn't be said out loud."** Waiting, he watches the monk's facial expressions. But Sai's facial expressions showed nothing striking. Raditz drinks his tea thoughtfully.

"**Kuririn-san do you have a master here who is responsible for the whole temple or just one for each area?"** As he tries to change the subject.

"**Oh yes, I haven't told you anything about our masters in our temple!"** cheers Kuririn with a radiant face. "**Grand Master Korin is responsible for the training of the young monks. He educates them according to our creed and our beliefs. He was here before I was even born. Nobody knows how old he really is, but his long white beard and white facial hairs in his face, his sagging eyelids and facial features suggests that he would've reached a proud age. Some even claim that he lived for 100 years. Oh and then there is Dende-sama. Dende-sama is the grand master of the healing arts. The interesting thing about him is that he came from very far away. He said he wanted to learn the healing practices from all over the world and to share the knowledge of his area with the world. "**

"**What area are we talking about?"**

**"He said he would come from an empire that is larger than our Japanese island and would spread from steps, mountains over a sea of sand and to fertile soil. He called it '_The Samanid Empire_'."**

Shocked, Raditz repeats the words '_a sea of sand' _and_ 'Samanid Empire ... bigger than the Japanese islands' _in his head. His mouth opens, his eyes seem far away. _'I absolutely have to meet this grand master.'_ Thinks Raditz. '_That has to be the guy we're supposed to be looking for!? But if he is right under our nose, why should we look for him?'_ In a fleeting moment of shock, he brings his emotions back under control. **"Kuririn-san, is it possible that your special form of medicine was used by Dende-sama? That would explain why your temple was the center of many wars and why you can hardly find this medicine in Japan. "**

"**You are absolutely right, Raditz san. If you want, I can introduce you to him. He will return from his trip tomorrow. Do you have a specific concern? "** asks Kuririn.

"**If I stay here longer, I would also like to get to know the people around me, their customs, customs and leaders. It's a samurai thing. We always have to know everything."** laughs Raditz and skilfully evades the question.

Kuririn does not notice how Raditz tries to avoid his question and is as happy like a dog. It is a great pleasure for him that a Ronin has so much interest in Buddhist culture. "**Then you have to get to know Grand Master Kaio! He has an almost infinite repertoire of knowledge! "** beams the little monk.

Raditz sighs inwardly. '_I should be damned for my big mouth.'_ He sips his tea when a memory appears to him. He carefully feels his way around the topic. Raditz starts telling stories from the war and encourages Kuririn to tell more about himself. "**I enjoyed watching the monks take care of the warrior's injuries. One of them gave me something sweet for my special courage. I had never eaten it before and never had the opportunity to thank this monk. Years have passed and we have lost contact with you, but I never understood how that was happened. "**

"I **understand what you mean, I would have been happy to see Bardock-sama again, but apparently I will never have the chance again. Wouldn't have been that terrible woman back then. She was so devilish… "**He opens his eyes wide and quickly puts his hands over his mouth. "**I said too much."**

Raditz bends his head forward. His eyes sparkle viciously. "**You will now tell me everything I want to know, dear monk."** His scary tone in his voice makes Kuririn shiver coldly on his back. He looks frightened to Sai, who warns Kuririn not to reveal anything.

Raditz 'practiced eyes miss nothing. He grabs Sai by the collar, pulls him towards him and holds a sharp blade to his neck. The teapot and cups fall to the floor and the tea table is flooded with tea. "All weapons have been removed from you, why do you still have one with you?" He croaks through the pressure on his neck.

"**A warrior always has a weapon with him for emergencies!"** Raditz tightens his collar. "**Now spit it out! "** He growls from the deepest fervor.

"**I'll tell you everything, but please don't strangle him!"** Kuririn whimpers nervously and waves his hands frantically in front of his face.

Raditz lets go of the monk, who shortly thereafter struggles to cough, gasping for breath. Raditz hands him his water bottle and helps him drink.

"**Now tell me everything from the beginning. Who forced you to break the covenant with us? "**


	11. Strategies and Manipulations

"WHAT!?" Tienshinhan shouts as he slams the door open. "How can such an important message be kept from us?" He roars again.

"Damn it, Tienshinhan, you are too loud! Do you want everyone within 10 kilometers to hear it? "It hisses from the warrior's mouth.

"How am I supposed to stay calm when my temple is about to attack!"

With the noise, the Shoji door is opened and the healer is skeptical. "What is this noise?" Are you here to take my hut apart or to watch over the defended Miko ?! "the woman threatens to hold up a knife while she knows how to handle the men.

"Forgive my rudeness, dear healer." Tienshinhan apologizes. "I only heard that our temple was in danger and therefore could not control myself."

"I now understand your turmoil. Do you already have an idea how you want to go about it? "asks the healer.

"At the moment we don't know more or less about the situation, but we now have the element of surprise on our side by being able to upgrade our temple. But we still have to get an overview of our enemy without being noticed, so that we know what we are dealing with and how we should continue to act strategically." Kakarot thinks to himself.

An oppressive silence spreads in the room.

The healer looks suspiciously at the Ronin in disguise. "In all these years, I have never seen a monk so instructed in war strategies. Who are you really? Are you the Ronin who destroyed half of the market with his mate? "

Kakarot and Tienshinhan exchange worried looks.

Suddenly two guests come into the room and bow politely. It turns out that it is none other than Bulma and Yamcha. It started to rain like buckets and the clothes of the two are dripping wet as it nestles against the silhouette of their bodies. Yamcha grins over both ears, always the optimist.

Kakarot thinks that the two came as if they were called.

"Forgive me healer for the trouble we have to deal with so early in the morning. We found the two Mikos while traveling to the village and wanted to avoid making them feel uncomfortable in a temple full of men." Yamcha puts on a shy smile, which clearly enchants the healer.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll take care of this poor Miko! She was seriously injured and needs a lot of rest. But you spoke of more than one Miko. I only see one here, dear sir? "The healer wonders.

Bulma kneels down next to the healer and removes the veil with which she also covered her face. Blue eyes pierce the healer's soul. "I am the second Miko to be saved. Forgive the circumstances, but my girlfriend and I were attacked by a horde of bandits when we were on our way to the Yamagato Temple. I don't know how much the other two monks have explained to you, but I owe my life and that of my best friend to them! They are heroes and deserve more than I can give them. I wanted to know if you could help us with anything else?" Bulma's ice-cold, half-frozen hands reach for the healer's hand, which is gently folded in her lap. With a softening look, she ensures that the healer will comply with her request.


	12. Surrounded by Trouble

**Surrounded by Trouble**

"Holy shit Turles! What's the meaning of this!?"

Raditz couldn't believe his eyes, the guy who was about to kill him was once in the same battalion as he was. In the battalion against the Tsufurujin.

"YOU WILL ALL DIE, ONE BY ONE!!" snarled Turles.

Raditz grabs him by the collar and presses his larynx into his windpipe. "You lousy traitor now tell me what's going on here! What did you do to Muten Roshi sama and why do you want to kill me? Who do you work for?" He growls.

To his surprise, Turles bursts out into a crazy laugh. In order too calm down Raditz loosens his grip '_No. I need him alive._ _I won't get any information when I kill him._' Turles coughs, but his laughter doesn't stop.

Annoyed Raditz thrusts his fists into Turles' face until he starts spitting blood, while he quietly suffered from Raditz' iron-hard fists.

Out of breath, Raditz pauses briefly and Turles' laughter subsided. Instead, he slowly turns his face to him and gives him a devilish smile.

"Seems like someone removed your brain while you were away." Raditz looks at his strange smile as he comes up with a plan. He pulls Turles to his feet and grabs him by the neck. "Get out of my sight! If I ever see you again, I'll push a spear so deep through your ass that it will stick out of your mouth. Then let's see if you can still laugh!" he hisses at him as he then pushed him in the direction of the forest and watches exactly where Turles goes.

* * *

The darkness made it difficult to recognize the puddles in time, as Kakarot's shoes became soaked and the hem of his robe clapped, dripping with dirt and water. Together with Tienshinhan, he runs through the streets of the village towards a restaurant where they will meet with the rest of the group. "You know, Tienshinhan, it would be a lot easier if this mysterious man from the land of sand appeared. I don't know what he looks like, nor do I know what he's good for, but it was my original mission to find him until so much happened. It's been several days and the only thing I've had so far is a suspicion."

"I understand you very well and you are just trying to stay true to your mission. But one of these qualities about you is to start storming when someone is in need, so trust them. In times of war you can't believe let alone trust anyone. You see yourself how many refugees live here. Everyone lost their home because the daimyos and the different clans all wipe each other out. Your clan is one of those many victims in that era. You and many other people in your clan have experienced a lot of suffering, so you don't want any innocent suffering. However, I firmly believe that times will change again soon and people can finally live in peace. And you will definitely play a big role in this, Kakarot. So I think you should focus more on what you're best at, there are a few other people in your clan who are also looking for information."

Kakarot lets the speech sink in and from the corner of his eye, he gives Tienshinhan an annoyed look. '_Why do all expect me to do something big? Even father sacrificed himself in the belief that I would be his last hope for this world._'

"Forgive me, I think I said something that worried you."

Kakarot puts on his broad grin and touches his neck nervously. "Oh, I'm not worried at all. But what is much more important now is the food in the restaurant! I'm dying of hunger!" He laughed to raise the mood.

Tienshinhan sincerely laughs at this light-heartedness. But then he notices that Kakarot has evaded him tactically. '_I wonder what he's hiding behind all that strength and light-heartedness.'_

Kakarot sighs in relief when the restaurant comes in sight. His stomach growls loudly as a sign. "Looks like my stomach is insulting me because I haven't given it anything to eat," he smiles to himself.

"I am hungry, too. Except for this Onigri from this morning, we haven't eaten anything. This Miko must be very important to you if you haven't left her side all day" he mockingly glances at the Ronin.

"It's not what you are trying to suggest here. She is now our ally and needs the best possible protection. I met her and her friend in the forest a few weeks ago. She had tried to kill me. At least that's how I got to know her and that's why she knows my name." Kakarot said annoyed and gives Tienshinhan a contemptuous look.

"A Miko with a pretty face tried to kill you, right? If that doesn't go down in history, then I don't know what will." he said mockingly. Now he can no longer suppress his laugh and starts to snort.

'Tienshinhan is already starting to be as funny as my big brother.' Annoyed Kakarot hurls the Shoji door of the restaurant. Several unknown faces turn to look at the bully as Kakarot gives them a deadly glare. Intimidated, the men turn around again and continued with their own business.

"Let's order something to eat before the other monks show up" says Kakarot as he sits down at the table far to the back.

When they finally filled their bellies, Kakarot had a burning question in mind to ask him, But just as he opened his mouth Tienshinhan preceded him: "You are probably wondering why so many of us are trained to fight." Kakarot nods to him, but is surprised that Tienshinhan took the words out of his mouth. "Many of us were once Sōhei, so-called monk warriors. Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple was my home, But at some point I didn't want to fight anymore and left the temple. One day I met Yamcha, who came from Hiei-zan Temple. We both walked north, not far from Kyoto. However, we were very slow on foot and it took months to reach the Yamagato Temple. When we finally arrived, Grand Master Kaio warmly welcomed us. The monks had so much inner peace and were so kind-hearted that we got captivated with this spiritual place. We have been at Yamagato Temple for 15 years now and found our peace there. So I want you to understand how important this temple is to me and I will never give it up without a fight."

Kakarot looks him in the eye and sees the fire of determination burning. He would never allow people to be massacred before his eyes. "You can count on me, Tienshinhan."

At that moment the Shoji door opens, but instead of the expected monks, two men in Kataginou-Hakama clothes enter, closely accompanied by a young woman in a tight yukata. Kakarot knows these silhouettes all too well. '_Damn it. That means trouble.'_

When they discovered Kakarot, they march directly towards him and drag him and Tienshinhan out the door.

"So you little snotty nose, you probably forgot that you can't do anything alone without my permission, right?"

Since Kakarot only looks at him silently and expressionlessly, it provokes the commanders all the more. He grabs him by the collar and pushes him against the facade of the Minka house. "Do you think you are special just because you received special training from Master Muten Roshi? You are nothing but shit! You report to me and obey my orders, you got that clan traitor?! "

Tienshinhan started to intervene, but Kakarot, with a calm expression on his face, instructed him to hold back.

"You dare to look somewhere else when I'm talking to you?" Without another word he slams a fist into Kakarot's face. He anticipates fear and whining.

Kakarot only looks down on him. No wounds, no blood and no scratches. This blow should have caused several bone fractures but his body was perfectly intact. "Is that all you can do? I would have expected more from you, Nappa." He smiles smugly.

A cold shiver hits Nappa as Kakarot's eyes take on a silvery sheen. "What's going on here?" Nappa saw those eyes were black as raven feathers a moment ago but now they are flickering back and forth between granite stone and liquid silver.

"Let me go, or I'll break all your bones for you," the voice clearly came from Kakarot, But it sounded as if it came from another dimension.

Now worried Nappa decides to releases him and deviates from him. Everyone around him stares at Bardock's son with their eyes and mouth wide open. With the piercing look of a mountain eagle, Kakarot only looks down on Nappa, while his silver-coloured eyes slowly flow back into the raven black.

"You will now hear what I have to say and then it will be decided how we will proceed."

Kakarot takes a deep breath "While my brother and I were observing a suspicious person in the market, Vegeta had preferred a different approach. Vegeta and I got into conflict and he was seriously injured when two monks from the Yamagato Temple appeared, including the monk, whom you ignore all the time. Meanwhile, Raditz watches over Vegeta in the temple and tries to get important information from there, while I and a handful of other monks met two Mikos on the way here who needed our help. One of them informed us that the temple is facing a serious attack because of the medical resources there. I recommend that we defer our original mission, defer information about our village's attackers, and avert the impending attack by finding out information about the enemy camp."

"That will no longer be necessary." A dark figure emerges from the alleys shadows, closely followed by two young men.

When the candlelight illuminates the faces of the people, it takes the Ronin's breath away. Muten Roshi sama stood before them, closely guarded by two young men.

"Turles has proven to be a renegade. He had planned an ambush on us while we were inspecting the enemy camp. Turles escaped us, but I'm afraid that he's targeting us and he's playing games with the enemy. "

The Ronin and the monk bow to the Master and greet him.

"I am sure that this is a misunderstanding, Turles was one of our most loyal samurai, he would never think of stabbing us in the back" Nappa tries to reply. He is one of the oldest and has seen many warriors grow up.

"Well, I don't mind it if we attack him directly, I'm always in for that," smiles Caulifla with a belligerent look in her eyes as she hits her open hand. Kakarot laughs to himself 'she must of just got bored in that brothel and can't wait to get her muscles back into play.'

"Broly, what do you think we should do?" Kakarot turns to him. Kakarot always had this feeling with him that he was not particularly bright in the head, but was an impressively strong Berserk warrior. "Turles has to die. Otherwise, more of us will die" he said.

"YEAH! FINALLY A REAL FIGHT! "Cheers Caulifla.

"Calm down Caulifla-san, there is no fight going on unless it is necessary" says Muten Roshi decisively.

"NO ONE WILL KILL TURLES HERE!" Roars Nappa trembling all over, his posture looks like he's guarded up and ready to jump at everyone's throat. "I PROHIBIT YOU ALLOWING YOURSELF TO KILL A MATE! I WILL TAKE ANYONE THAT TRIES TO BRING EVEN A HAIR ONLY!"

"Nappa, please calm down, Turles was once one of us, but it is definitely no longer the case when he attacks our people from behind!" Growls Kakarot, ready to attack Nappa if he got too out of hand.

"MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS! YOU FLED LIKE A COWARD AS OUR VILLAGE GOT ATTACKED!"

Kakarot looks grimly at Nappa, he was fed up with something that he didn't do, he would never dishonour his father. The strength he felt in himself begun to boil again, but this time more intensely as he gives a low growl from his chest. His body started boiling with heat and he soon noticed how a slight steamy mist surrounded him. His body temperature was now significantly higher than that of his surroundings. Instinctively he storms over to Nappa and hits him square in the face.

In that next moment Nappa flies across the street and hits the facade of the house opposite. The restaurant guests screech in confusion and shock as they storm out of the house. Employees and cooks run to the injured man who lies unconscious in the rubble.

Surprised, Kakarot looks at his trembling fist. The heat dissipated in him.

Caulifla roars with joy. "WUU-HUU! THIS IS MY SENPAI IN ACTION!!! NOBODY IS MOCKING HIM ANYMORE! Otherwise, he will kick anybody's ass here!" Laughs Caulifla crooked.

Broly quickly runs to Nappa and helps him up.

Tienshinhan stands next to Kakarot and asks him if he is well.

But Muten Roshi sama smiles puzzlingly triumphant.

* * *

Raditz follows the traitor into the forest and makes sure to keep the greatest possible distance. The deep fog around him gives him privacy. The light of the moon seeps through the fog like a milky wall. '_What is Turles up to? Where does he want to go? Who is our enemy? Why did I have such a strange feeling with Sai, is he one of them? Was the whole temple even infiltrated? I think we're in more deeper shit than what we thought. I just hope that my little brother isn't head over heels in trouble again.'_

Slowly and quietly, like a ninja, the Ronin follows the tracks on the forest floor. He watches Turles shadow disappear in the fog. Raditz hurries to follow the tracks as they abruptly deviate from the path and run between the broad bamboo trunks. But there is still no silhouette of Turles. Raditz looks nervously to the left and right, But sees nothing. He runs deeper and deeper into the forest not realising he was so focused on the footprints that he neglects his own coverage.

A huge kick in the back made him cry out in pain. He falls forward, losing his balance and rolls over the damp clay floor. Suddenly the ground beneath him breaks off abruptly, he tries to cling to the protruding roots, but they are torn off by his weight as he continued to fall down the stony ditch. Raditz tries to control his body and brakes his fall with his knees and elbows. Skidding, he finally comes to a standstill. "Oh boy, that was close."

Raditz kneels on the clay floor and taps the dirt off his shoulder. He feels his costal arch for fractures as he could feel several bruises on the left and right hand side of his chest. In addition, his shoulder has slightly dislocated making him stands up carefully, but clumsily. He bends his shoulder and slowly moves it in a circular motion, while Raditz begins to walk he hits something with one of his sandals making him look down. His head was working at full speed to process the information when it finally dawned on him: a dead monk laid in front of him. A monk who left Kakarot this morning, it was none other than Hajime-san.

"DAMN SHIT, MY BROTHER IS IN DANGER!"

* * *

Hobbling and bleeding, Nappa returns to the group with Broly's help. He slowly sets him down on the facade making Nappa groan in pain and clutches his ribs.

Tienshinhan speaks up. "Nappa-san stop throwing these words at him. You can see that you are only provoking a fight that you can't win. You should have respected Kakarot's first warning. I saw the fear paralyzed you when he looked at you with piercing silver eyes. You talk about loyalty between comrades, a code of honour and cohesion, but you don't want to see Kakarot as part of the community. Isn't he your comrade? I know the story of how your village was attacked. But I also know Bardock sama personally from the war of 13 years ago when the Yamagato Temple and your clan were an alliance. He would never raise a coward. So if you continue to dishonour him, you are also dishonouring Bardock sama."

Kakarot feels his pulse normalize. Clearly something reacts in him when Nappa becomes disrespectful, its something he'll have to watch for now.

Nappa grimaces in pain making him breath in and out heavily. He gives a weak nod to indicate that he will give up. Nappa knew Bardock too well.

"Well, as far as Turles is concerned," Muten Roshi had gone to the restaurant to pay for the damage caused by the accident. When he returns to the warriors, he chooses his words carefully, "I suspect he will try to either get the formula of the miracle cure or break the defence of the temple. In other words, he will try to take out the strongest fighters."

Kakarot's eyes widen. '_No! My brother is there! _' Anger starts to build up in him. "Damn.. shit! Raditz is still there!" He growls and hits the facade. Splinters of wood crumble from the wall as his knuckles start to bleed.

A loud shouting pulls him out of his irrepressible anger. "KAKAROT-SAAAN!! KAKAROT-SAAAAAN!!

Kakarot looks up and sees Yamcha running towards him. There is not much to see in the dark alley except the silhouette of his cowl. His short hair tail which he had braided beats up and down on his shoulder like a horse whip while running. When he finally reached the troops, he leaned against his knees, panting and breathing for air. Kakarot is waiting for Yamcha to catch his breath.

"What is it Yamcha-san?" Asks Kakarot irritably, while Tienshinhan stands next to him; worried about his best friend.

"The monks you sent back to the temple to get the medicine and to report back have never reached the temple, and there are no further traces of them about their whereabouts. There is not even a trace of Hajime-san, but he is one of the most reliable monks I know." Tienshinhan is so shocked by this news that he drives his hand desperately over his bald head and over the back of his neck, finally he turns away to hide his swearing.

Kakarot holds his chin thoughtfully and slowly realizes the connections. "Muten Roshi sama were you able to determine where the enemy's camp is located and who we are dealing with?"

Muten Roshi nods to him. "A small battalion of the Fureza Army, northwest of here. Shallot is currently gathering the remaining survivors of the Saiyan clan, But counting the Ronin here we only have 47. In addition, most of them are samurai daughters and women, but have no experience in battles. The rest of them are children or men who weren't warriors."

"Kale and I can train them for battles. However, this has to be regulated with the brothel owner. He'll never give me and Kale out voluntarily. I'm only here because Kale is backing me."

"We don't have time to train people for a direct attack Caulifla." replies Nappa irritably. His pain is cruel even when he talks. But he refused to see help from the healer. It was humble enough to be catapulted into the building opposite with a punch.

"We won't attack them directly either," Kakarot interrupts him. "We infiltrate their camp with lightly clad courte-sans, geishas, lots of sake and sleeping weed for the animals so that they don't make any noise when they smell us." As he told them the plan, it became clear that it got a little to quiet until Kakarot finally noticed it himself. "What? Never heard of a strategic attack?" He asks sarcastically.

"It's a brilliant idea, Kakarot," smiles Muten Roshi, "We should talk to the brothel directly. Kakarot go with Caulifla and make it clear to him that we are not negotiating. Broly, bring Nappa to the healer, he is injured to no use. The rest come with me and tell me everything about the temple. When I have all the information, Cabba and Tarble will join you and tell you when we will attack and who will protect the temple."

"Kakarot-san, I wanted to talk to you in private for a moment." Yamcha whispers near Kakarot's ear.

The two men dressed in cowls move away from the group, which is slowly dividing up. Tienshinhan glances over the shoulder of the two before joining Muten Roshi.

"The Mikos are both fine. I brought the medicine from the temple and gave it to both women. Of course, the healer complained loudly, but was then amazed at how quickly the wounds healed. The question now is what should we do with them. None of us can currently do without escorting them to the Senju Shrine, "he tells the Ronin.

"On the way to the village, Bulma-san asked me to teach her the sword skills and to become part of our group. Of course we will also take Chichi-san with us if she wants to. Don't worry, we'll never let her go defenceless."

Kakarot catches a gentle expression on Yamcha's face when he mentions Bulma-san's name. He pats him on the shoulder encouragingly and turns to go when he notices Caulifla waiting for him.

He glances over Yamcha's shoulder. "See you later."

Yamcha hits his fist on his heart and bows in front of him until Kakarot is out of reach.

"So Caulifla, take me to this kusottare." he growls.

"But Senpai, you're still wearing your monk's clothes!"

"Damn it, I didn't calculate it… Go then, get me clothes that you think are appropriate." he demands handing her a bag full of Ōban.

* * *

Merry laughter echoes through the streets of the brothel district. The colourful lanterns, hanging from the canopies of the wooden houses, dangle in the warm moisty evening breeze. The reddish-painted facades, the warm lights and the many colourful robes tempt a man to escape the cold and grey reality of the wars and want to stay here.

Various sweet smells dance around Kakarot's nose as he walks past artistically painted geishas who call him coquettish. Two young _yūjo_ run towards him in their imposing kimonos. In their getas, they stop in front of him, clacking and giggling, and nestle against Kakarot's muscular upper arms. The girls tug and pull on his arms as they playfully fight over him.

"Ladies, I am flattered, but I have important things to do for tonight."

"But sir, you must be so tired from your battles and trips. Follow us and you can relax." One of the girls looks at him seductively through her long eyelashes as she presses her bust up against him. Kakarot looks back and forth between the two courtesans, who involuntarily reminded him of the morning in the forest when he first met Bulma and Chi-Chi. Bulma urged him on as well, but he couldn't forget how Chi-Chi's body felt when he pressed her against a tree trunk. Suddenly he notices how warm it is in his groin area and suppresses the thought. There are more important things to do.

"Ladies he is my client, so let him go." Caulifla grabs Kakarot by the arm and pulls him away from the prostitutes .

"Caulifla was that necessary?" He is not particularly thrilled that she talks like this. Especially not when she talked about herself like that.

"Senpai you are the strangest man I know. You are so handsome, but you don't even notice that every girl here can't take their eyes off of you. I would even imagine that they wouldn't even ask for an Ōban but you just stand around like you don't know how to have fun."

"Caulifla there is more important things to do than to have fun" he warns her. "And now, please take me to your manager. We shouldn't be wasting too much time here."

Kakarot violently kicks open the Shoji door which crashes onto the wooden floor. The brothel owner was just having fun with businessmen while the geishas sang and danced for them when the girls screams interrupted the good mood. Kakarot looks around the room grimly: it smells of fried fish, sake and sweat. The erection hovers in the air and crushes the atmosphere. In the middle of the room is a low table with a lot of sake and a lot of culinary food. A man choked the moment Kakarot burst in and is now fighting his cough. However, the others look at him as if they are peeing their pants at any moment. '_These men stink of whining rags. It won't be difficult to convince them.'_

"Which of you _konoyarou_ is the brothel owner?"

When no one spoke up, Kakarot marched straight for one of the men who didn't look like a greasy trader. He grabs him by the collar, pulls the fat brothel owner to his feet and keeps his face very close to his own. His breath smelled mangy of sake.

"Kale and Caulifla will only work for you again if I want them to, if you refuse, I'll take everything you have and burn the whole quarter down. Do you understand that?!"

"You can't do anything to me! I have people who are more dangerous than you are!" Whimpers the brothel owner as he tries desperately to free himself from his grip. Kakarot notices how his eyes briefly flick to the side. '_Understand_…'

He laughs playfully as he loosens his grip and throws the man across the room. He turns around and sees 10 men forming a semicircle in front of him. Some of them punch their fists menacingly.

Unimpressed, he turns his attention to his opponents. The room is dead silent. Nobody dares to say anything. Curious _yūjo_ and geishas peek between the Shoji doors. He empties his mind, takes a deep breath and takes up a fighting position.

"Come and get me."

Roaring the men storm towards him. The first jumps against his head, but Kakarot pulls him to the ground by his leg. Trampling over his head, he devotes himself to the next men attacking with their fists. On the left he blocks the blow and balls his shoulder out. He slaps his fist from the right and rams his own fist into his face. The striking head is thrown backwards through the window with a kick in the abdomen. The fifth storms towards him from behind. Kakarot turn him off with a half-moon kick in the face. Three men storm towards him and try to hit him at the same time. While blocking a blow, he holds the other's leg in his arm and kicks him in the pelvic bone, which breaks immediately. He uses the other's fist to pull him close. His face was now exposed. Kakarot hits his nose several times until he grabs his face and whirls him to the ground. The third, unsure of what to do, carelessly attacks the Ronin and in that next moment he hits the ground. Kakarot rams his elbow into his back, But then he whirls around and fends off the next attacker. He kicks him in the back of his knee, Exploits the imbalance and catapults him to the ground with his fist. Twenty chain punches hit the opponent lying on the ground making the last man in front of him frightened as he gets in a fighting pose. Kakarot slowly walks towards him. The young man, unsettled, kicks the chest height of the Ronin. But Kakarot fends him off with his forearm, hits him in the stomach and chest and whirls him around the head, so that he lies on the ground on Kakarot's knees. He pauses for a moment.

But then he hits his opponent's nose with full force until it breaks. He immediately loses consciousness making Kakarot let go of him.

He turned around and looked at the chaos he caused.

The table overturned in the heat of the moment, the food is scattered across the field, while the men around him roll on the floor groaning in pain. Apparently one of the men even fell out of the window.. he thinks as he sees the broken wooden grilles of the window.

A loud cheer goes through the female audience. Kakarot looks around in surprise and discovers Caulifla and Kale running towards him hand in hand. "Why are the women cheering so much?" He asks Caulifla.

"The old fat sack always sent these men to teach us women obedience. Now that you have switched them off, he no longer has any power over us."

Kakarot thinks that Caulifla had to take a lot of beating due to her rebellious character. "I'll take care of this _konoyarou_. He will suffer more than his thugs."

With his back turning the colourful quarter, he gets accompanied by Caulifla and Kale by every step he does.

"Senpai, is there a woman for whom you have romantic feelings for?" Caulifla bursts out.

He stops abruptly, which ensures that both girls run into him. "Caulifla, why do you keep asking me such strange things that don't concern you?"

"The women literally took your clothes off and licked you after you eliminated the brothel owner! You just pushed away the _yūjo_ that laid half-naked on you! Since you aren't interested in men, I thought you must have a woman in your heart!" Caulifla puts her hands on his shoulder and gives him a puppy look.

"And why should I tell you about it?" He asks sceptically.

"Because I'm your protégé and we haven't seen each other for a long time." She realizes how cold and distant he gets when she touches on the subject. '_Let's see what can be found out.'_

"Okay let's play your game. Yes there is one. Finished. Now come up with another topic or be silent." He marches forward irritably, without paying attention to the two girls. '_One day I will tell you about her, but at the moment your mouth is too loose to risk letting you know her name.'_

Suddenly a lanky boy stumbles towards them. When the lights finally fall into his boyish face, Caulifla and Kale catches their breath. Kakarot remains calm, but tenses his jaw muscles with concern.

"Kakarot-san, I have the order to tell you which task you should take over: In two nights you will lead one unit to the surprise attack. Your strategy of using prostitutes as a diversion should be used, so you should smuggle the _yūjo_ in the evening of the attack. You should stay on guard until the rest of your unit arrives."

"Thank you for the detailed report, Cabba. You can dismiss now.

When Cabba disappeared into the shadows again, Kakarot turned to go when he caught Caulifla's mocking look.

"Come on, spit it out. What's so funny?"

"That you have to go back to the wild chickens who can't wait to lick you. Because I'm definitely not going to talk to them about this. It would be much more interesting to learn from my senpai how he will control an army of seduction artists." Laughing out loud, Caulifla holds her stomach and wipes a tear away.

Kakarot raises an eyebrow "If you can make fun of your Senpai, you can also look for accommodation on your own." And turns away from her.

"Wait Senpai!" Caulifla tries to stop him, but he has already disappeared into the dark alley, away from the lights.


	13. Starry Sky

Chapter 13

The moon rises in it's perfect form to the horizon. High in the starry sky, it shines all over the country, while it's light shimmers in the reflection of the river. Fireflies dance around the riverbank as if they compose a symphony. A warm breeze blows through the tops of the trees, making the leaves rustle softly with the wind.

On the stony bank of the river, a Miko takes off her clothes, while considering possible dangers, she keeps her slip on. Chichi prances barefoot on tiptoe to the edge of the bank, kneels and draws water from the river with her bucket. Slowly she lets the cool water flow over her body while she delicately opens her yukata. She sighs quietly as the cool water relaxes her overheated body. She closes her eyes and soaped her hands with the soap that she received from the healer. She carefully massages her neck, wanders under the silky thin fabric and massages her left shoulder. Chichi scoops water again and tips it over her long loose black hair. The cool water flows over her face and drips from her sharp formed chin onto her half-exposed breasts. The pale light of the moon shines through her clothes and shows how the thin fabric of her _yucata_ is soaked with water, while clinging on her curves. She opens her yukata a little more in order to clean her breasts. When her cool hands touched her right breast, she sighed out loud. She had forgotten how tenderness felt. She soaped her bust and belly and finally tipped the cold water over her body again as her nipples reacted to the cold. She smoothly pulls up her white yukata again, but when she is about to undress her left shoulder, she hears a branch crack right behind her. Before she could turn around, she felt a familiar voice penetrate her marrow and limbs. „Chichi-san I didn't know where you were," His rough, whispering voice tingled her neck. „… since you were no longer in your bed. I got told that you were well again because of the temple's medicine and wanted to come to see you, but when I asked where you had gone, the healer only gave me a contemptuous look. But Bulma-san secretly told me where you could be, so I went looking for you."

As Chichi slowly turns around to him, her eyes cross the deep black ones of Kakarot , which look at her with desire and longing. In the dark of the night, his eyes sparkle like onyx stones.

Kakarot kneels on one leg on the stony ground, while he lays one arm on his knee. He slowly raises his right hand to touch Chi-Chi's cheek but pauses. Only a small breath circulates between his hand and her smooth skin. He sees the desire in her eyes, but then she closes them and releases a deep sigh. Drawn by her sweet breath, he slowly approaches her lips.

Kakarot is now so close that she just wants to kiss him. When there is only a distance of breath between them, their lips unite. He gently sucks on her upper lip, while his hand runs over her face into her hair on the back of her neck and tightly pulls her hair there. Chichi unintentionally reaches for his neck, strokes the protruding hair and wanders with his other hand over his strong neck to his muscular chest. His Dōgi is loosened above his Gi and she could feel the full strength of his chest muscle. His pulsating veins, intense heartbeat and rough skin under her soft hands give her an overwhelming desire for more.

Chi-Chi's delicate and slim hands trigger a heat in him that he doesn't know how to control. He had never felt this unpredictable fire in his body with a woman except the one in his arms. Instinctively he reaches under her silk fabric and squeezes her breast in his hand. A soft moan escapes her lips, which encourages him to massage her soft, full breasts even tighter. He presses her head closer to him, opens her lips and slides his tongue into her mouth. Another moan escapes from her lips as her tongues touch. Slowly he pushes her as gentle as possible on the floor. He tenderly strokes her damp hair behind her ear. He supports her neck with his arm while leaning on her. He kisses her lips passionately once again, puts her tongue in her mouth and gently sucks on it. But then he breaks the kiss. Panting for air over her face, he breathes in her sweet lips. She looks longingly in his eyes as he gives her a gentle smile.

"Kakarot… ", she whispers. He breathes a kiss on her eyes.

"Mhmmm …? ", he carefully strokes her face.

"Why am I feeling so much desire when I'm with you? We barely know each other, but my body burns with hankering for you. " dizzy from the kiss, she examines his eyes. The desire in them wasn't gone, but she can see that he's asking himself the same question.

"Chichi, a few weeks ago in the morning, I felt this intrusive feeling of wanting to touch your body torturing me. I would have watched you at your katana for hours without getting bored. I could have looked into those eyes for hours, but you barely looked at me. I would have trained with you for hours, even if it tormented me to touch you carefully. I don't understand what it is that binds us so much, but I am sure that we shouldn't suppress this desire." Kakarot sits up slowly with Chichi in his arms and puts her on his lap. Wrapped in her arms and legs, he feels a damp warmth that penetrates the fabric of his pants. Her bare breasts nestle against his muscular chest '_It's so damn hard to hold back.'_

Sitting on his lap, Chichi feels the hardness of his member. She doesn't want to do anything else than to give in to the desire, but then memories of her mother emerge in her consciousness.

_'She had always tied the long silky black hair into an elegant updo. When we listened to the cicadas and crickets in the tall grass in a warm summer day, she combed my hair with camellia oil. I was only 6 but my mother always explained to me how to get hooked as a girl and later as a wife. She explained my customs and traditions to me, told me the myths of our tribe and always knew how to explain everything to me as interestingly and with humour as possible. She warned me that a girl shouldn't indulge for a man before marriage because it would be too dangerous for a young woman to be unmarried and tainted. The sound of her melodic voice told her that she should never let a man into her heart because then his actions would set the rhythm of her feelings. He should better be next to her heart so that she can keep control of herself. She always said that a woman had to bow to social norms, but nobody forbade being intelligent and educated as well.'_

She sighs and distances herself slightly from his burning upper body. She sees how his eyes fix her breasts. His mouth is slightly open, while a warm breath of his mouth hugs her breasts. She straightens her yukata and closes it with her _gi_.

"Kakarot there is something that you have to understand. When I first saw you, I didn't expect you to be a Saiyan clan warrior. I hated you for where you came from, but as I struggled with my injuries and pain I realized that it was just an illusion that I was trying to tell myself to forget about you. But it seems that we have a strong bond."

"Wait, why do you hate my clan? What did my clan do to you? ", he asks curious and puzzled.

"My little village was once a peaceful and carefree one, until in the great war between the powerful Saiyajins and Tsufurujin my village got between the fronts and was trampled on the ground. Survivors who didn't follow into the army or who didn't surrender were classified as an enemy, tortured and killed … even my mother…" Chichi clutched Kakarots _Dōgi_ so as not to be overwhelmed by her feelings. Kakarot wraps her wrists. Pain filled him when he saw her grief in her eyes. '_Did one of my clan relatives rob her of her mother?'_

Chichi slowly straightens up her head. "I was 8 when our village was attacked. I only heard howling that the Saiyajins would attack again, when my father responded immediately and tried to send my mother and me away so we could survive because women were first kidnapped or killed. However, while fleeing, we crossed the path of three samurai who wore the same armour as those who attacked our village. She wanted to protect me from the warriors and attacked the leader. She was tied up and beaten up blue and green in front of my eyes. The bulky samurai leader wanted to know where the Tsufurujin camp was, but mother didn't know … I saw one of the younger companions try to stop him, but he was knocked down by the third samurai, who looked even younger…"

As Kakarot listens to her carefully he ponders if he knows the samurai who killed her mother. "I am sorry for what my clan has done to your tribe. I also lost my family to an attack on our village, so I can understand your pain. But I have to say that your mother was a very brave woman that I would have liked to meet. But she has everything she knew, and inner strength passed on to you. She practically lives on in you, just as my father's will persists in me." I He lets go of her wrists and takes her face in both hands. "As long as you have your memories of her and honour her, she will live on forever." He looks into her eyes lovingly until her grief disappears into an enchanting smile.

„Kakarot…", she whispers. She closes her eyes as she reaches for his right hand, leads her to her lips and breathes a gentle kiss on it. "…Thanks for everything,", she whispers in his hand.

"I didn't know the Saiyajin clan extinguished." Chichi opens her eyes but sees no spark of sadness in the mirror of his soul. She sees only lust for murder.

"Except for 47 survivors, the clan was completely wiped out. The attack came surprisingly in a night several months ago. Nobody knows why the guard outside of our village didn't raise the alarm. However, the enemies announced their attack with flaming arrows and we just had time to protect at least the women and girls by performing the Jigai. My father even honoured my mother to perform the Seppuku by shortening her painful death by beheading her after she slit her stomach."

"Your father certainly loved her very much.", she adds.

"Who wouldn't love her? Whenever I think of her, I only feel a dark void that was inflicted on me with her death. She always had a smile on her face, was always optimistic and loving. She was like a warm campfire in the middle of a cold and freezing night. My father had the chance to get the position of a general, but he refused to stay home more often in order to spend more time with us and especially with my mother. He never made it a secret how much he loved her: every time he came back from a battle or when we were just hunting he pulled her always in his arms and hold her tight. No matter what she was doing in that moment he interrupted her. I could see how he inhaled her sent between her neck and shoulders. I often noticed his habit to take her hand frankly to just hold it on his lips and closing his eyes by doing it. She used to giggle whenever he did it. I remember a rainy day with both sitting on the _Engawa, _both looking at the landscape, as he took her hand and held the inner side on his lips. He massaged her hands and wrists or put his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. My father found always an opportunity to simply touch her. She always run into me and my brother when we came home and caress through our hair. Sometimes she just put my head on her lap and told me legends and myths about our clan and the world. She was like the contrast to the rough world because of her pure, gentle and kind-hearted character. All this light was taken from me in front of my own eyes and I couldn't do anything about it!"

„Kakarot, I finally can see why you're so fierce. I've seen it while you fought against the barbarians. Both of us lost so much, it's no surprise to fall into loneliness which makes people cruel. Even though the pain is barely bearable, we never should allow ourselves to deny our feelings and let the hate tint your heart with darkness. I know you fight with yourself because your mother was your light in the dark, but if you won't stop to think about the past, you will lose your mind. And you won't change it through revenge. I already went through this and I want to help you to get through this."

His hardened facial expression loosens when he begins to smile. '_He truly is a handsome one',_ thinks Chichi secretly. "What was your father's character like? He seemed to be an honourable man. What about your brother? Did he survive the attack?"

"Bardock was the best samurai and father of all times. Everything I know, I learned through him. He teached me the _bushido _and the martial arts. He trained me in survival techniques and war stratagems. Nevertheless, he never used me as a weapon but as his own flesh and blood, which is rare in my clan. My brother and I had the honour to get a father like him. Even when we went out for the hunt, he prepared us for the battles in the future. I remember how he waited for wind to change It's direction to begin with the _Kyudojutsu. _In my memories the grasses were greener and the fields seemed to be more fertile. The air was cleaner and sun seemed to shine more often. My father trained me the first time when I was 9 years old. We were standing on a hill while my brother showed me the movements first, my father corrected my posture later when I tried to do it by myself. I still remember how the wind blew into our backs and the grasses rustled at the height of my stomach while the bamboo of the _kyudo_ cracked softly when I pulled the bowstring. In regularly trainings sessions he distanced more and more the _Mato_ until one day I was able to shoot over 50 meters." As he remembers this beautiful memory of his childhood, he starts to laugh quietly.

Chichi smirks as she hears the sound of his melodious laughing. It was the first time she heard it. Yet, in the blink of an eyes his mood changed back into shady. His cheek bones muscles tense and in the shadows of the night, his face looks ghostly. "In the matter of my older brother, he survived the attack, but lost his wife and daughter. He was sent into an important mission for the _Daimyo_ _Beerusu_ sama. Its quite unusual striking, but due to that accident, he's the only family I have left in this world. I promised mother and father to find him and to protect each other but now, he may be in a risk of death. I know I shouldn't bother because he's an amazing warrior but the fear to lose him as well is too big!" Kakarot realizes how much he calmed down after releasing the frustration by talking to Chichi.

"What is stopping you to go to your brother?", she asks.

"It's because I have to infiltrate an army full of seducing artists into the enemy base. At sunrise I have to explain them the situation to get their obeying. Right after it, I'll have to set out to get them there at sunset."

Brooding, she holds her index finger in front of her mouth to see the connections. It must be the base that is supposed to attack the _Yamagato_ temple and now they try to eliminate a large number of warriors with a simple tactic. "How did you manage to spot the enemy so quickly? I can remember that I was still struggling with my injuries this morning and now I am fit again. What was the medicine Yamcha gave me? And how could you find the attackers in such a short time?"

"In the matter of the medicine, I don't know much about it, just that it's very special and is only developed in the _Yamagato_ Temple. But we found the attackers so quickly because our leader _Muten Roshi_ _sama_ and a few _Ronin _of us gathered information about the area. One of our people has proven to be a renegade and that's why our master got wind of it."

"_Muten Roshi sama_ is your leader and master!? This is unbelievable! He was my father's former master."

Shocked, his eyes widen as he draws in the air sharply.

"Chichi, who was your father? When was he an apprentice? Are there other students of _Muten Roshi sama_? How long have you been traveling alone and how did you become a Miko? Who is the priest of the Senju shrine? Who did you learn to fight from?"

Chichi takes in the flow of his questions and listens to herself to find out if she is ready to tell someone her story. She takes a deep breath and lets out a long breath.

"My father had been a student of _Muten Roshi sama_ long before I was born. But thanks to his training, he was able to fight my and my mother's escape route freely. He wanted to stay in the village and help the villagers escape. But mother and I couldn't flee very far. After the attack, father and I were escaping for years. We only lived hand to mouth until one day we found a small village on the edge of _Hamanoura Tanada_ that welcomed us with open arms. I was 11 when I helped them grow rice and they gave us shelter in return. My father never taught me _Budō_ because he thought that fighting would only lead to more conflicts. But there was a girl there who trained me in _Kyudōjutsu_. She became my closest friend and I finally felt home again. But three years later, my father died of a lung disease. I always suspected that it must have been due to the hardships of the long escape, but inside I knew that my father couldn't take it anymore without mother and lost himself. I left the village, thereafter, looking for a meaning in my life, and found pilgrim Shaolin monks who spread their Buddha's beliefs. I learned a lot about their life as _Shaolin monks_ and started to get enthusiastic about their fighting techniques. They drove across the big water, which was salty, fishy and smelled of algae. The open sea looked so endless and the sun kept pounding down on us. It was an arduous and dangerous journey across the sea, but when I finally saw the huge mountains of _Chūgoku's_ while we stopped in the port of _Shanghai_, I knew that I would spend years there. The monks helped me learn their language and welcomed me to their temple. I learned a lot about their life as _Shaolin_ monks, their religion, writing culture and above all their different fighting styles. Six years passed before I decided to keep my father's promise and return to _Nihon Koku_. _Gohan sama_ is the priest of the _Senju_ shrine, my father's best friend and the second student of _Muten Roshi sama_. I promised my father to go to him so that he could watch over me. When I got there, he wasn't even surprised at my presence, but welcomed me with open arms to comfort me. Since then I've been the shrine's Miko together with Bulma, that's why I have to go back as soon as possible to support him."

Kakarot listens attentively to the beautiful woman on his lap as he caress her hands thoughtfully. He asked her questions about the foreign culture in _Chūgoku_, asked her questions about her life there together with the _Shaolin_ monks there and how she was doing all the years. "If I survive my very last battle, I will one day accompany you to this country and start a new life with you, far from hatred and war. I may not be able to protect you forever, but I ask you to stay by my side and fight with me back on back against this suffering. You have so much energy, that even death fears you; and the empathy that we need to unite our fighting realms. That's why I won't just let you go. I need you here with me, Chichi."

Kakarot looks into her warm nut brown eyes. She gives him a gentle smile as she slowly approaches his face. She fixed his mouth with her eyes as she touches his warm lips with hers. He pulls her closer to him and feels her cool skin through the damp fabric of her _yukata_ on his overheated chest muscles. He kisses her full of desire as he gently turns her on her back.

She feels his heavy weight on her breasts and his rough hands on her thighs, which he pushes apart. Chichi briefly feels the warm, hard bulge of his _Dōgi_ pants when he lies down on her and kisses her intensely again. He lets go of her lips and wanders kissing and licking down her neck to her breasts, where he pushes the material with his jaw to the side and exposes her bare full breasts. He grabs her bare breast and squeezes it briefly. Her heartbeat rhythm stops a second. A soft moan escapes her lips.

Kakarot tastes the smell of the clear river on her skin; mixed with their sweet smell. 'Her moan sounds so heavenly in my ears. I want more!'

Kissing and licking, he wanders along her neck until he's directly above her pulse and gently bites her with his teeth. Sucking on her soft skin, he feels her moist warmth between her legs and sighs internally. Nearly unnoticed her body trembles in lust. Quietly she whispers his name. "Kakarot…"

"…please survive the battle and come back to me without any injuries. ", she whispers at his ear.

„I am not easily defeated."


	14. chapter 141

After a wholesome romantic night with Chichi and a long break from his original mission, Kakarot gatheres his courage and strikes into action. His plan, to prevent the destruction of the great temple by destroying the standing army near by might be a genius one and worth his great heritage of his father. But what if a greater genius is working against him?

Here comes the first part of the huge chapter 14! Enjoy reading it and leave your thoughts in the comments.

* * *

"Are you cold? ", asks Kakarot Chichi, who is cuddling into Kakarot's arms.

"No, I'm warm now. But there is really no need to carry me," she murmurs at his neck.

"I'll do it anyway because you got dizzy when I helped you up earlier," he mischievously winks at her. He is aware of the situation, that he is taking advantage of the moment for his own needs. However, he cannot get away from her.

With every breath he takes he wants to feel her arms around his neck, inhale her scent and press her soft body firmly against him.

As the first white stripe of light splits the eternal sky, Kakarot spurs down the mountainside to the village to arrive at Yamcha's place in time to escort the courtesans.

He sensed in his mind what serious consequences this and the next day would bring, but then Chichi tore him out of his gloomy thoughts.

"Can't I come with you and support you in the fight? I am a very good shot. Besides, I have fighting experience and can back you up..."

"No! Kakarot stops abruptly.

Chichi shrugs at the sharp sound. His surprising turn of mind causes her to lift her head from his broad chest and look into his eyes.

Dark, cold-blooded eyes look down on her.

A cold shiver flows down her spine. His hands, on her arm and thigh, harden and dig painfully into her skin.

But behind that frightening coldness in his eyes hovers the fear of losing another important person.

Carefully Chichi raises her hand and gently lays it on Kakarot's cheek. She fixes his eyes without showing weakness.

"I have lived alone for years and I will manage even now. In battle, I can be with you, fighting back to back with you. If I were to stay here, I would have to wait for you, hanging and longing, hoping that you would survive the attack. But when I am with you, I can do anything to keep you from dying."

Kakarot's fossilized features relax, but a look into his eyes is enough to know that he cannot get used to the idea. So, he continues his march in silence. But this time more jaggedly than before.

Chichi turns her face away from his face and looks into the direction of the village that rises directly before them. The lights of the lanterns sparkle like fireflies in the semi-darkness of the sky and the alleys are only dimly lit. Thieves, abandoned prostitutes and merchants are the only rabbles left on their feet at this colour of the sky. Ashamed, Chichi buries her face in Kakarot's neck hole.

'_How helpful the everyday clothes Yamcha brought me are_,'

Chichi thinks. In her red Hakama, you would recognize her as Miko even in the deepest darkness.

When the warrior leaves the woman in his arms at the healer's door, the door opens and Yamcha steps out.

Astonished, he whirls around and closes the door behind him.

Chichi feels caught red-handed and blushes when the memories of a short time ago, shoot into her consciousness. She lowers her gaze to the floor while Kakarot stands slightly protective in front of her.

But surprisingly, Yamcha seems to remain tactful and does not speak to them.

"Kakarot-san, you do not have much time left to reach the battlefield. I have already informed the ladies about the situation and the strategy, so do not worry about it. The two Miko's will be safe with me during your absence."

The warrior grabs the monk by the forearm and pulls him to himself to give him a brotherly embrace.

He whispers to him in his ear: "Please be careful that Chichi doesn't follow me into battle. Train both of them in the basics of defence, I know you are an outstanding fighter. I will continue the training when I return. When Kakarot breaks away from him, Yamcha nods imperceptibly at him.

As the warrior breaks away from him, Yamcha puts a protective hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder; side by side they watch as the warrior in the black Dōgi takes a last look over their shoulder and disappears into the light of dawn.

"Ladies, I am aware that this path is arduous, yet I demand discipline! We're almost there, so I want you to keep your noise levels down!" Kakarot snorted scornfully, as he had never expected that women could be so exhaustingly loud. He looked up to the sky and hoped that the early morning delay would not jeopardize the schedule. But the way the sun's rays filter through the forest's canopy of leaves makes him realise that the sun's highest point had not yet been reached." At least we will be in time," Kakarot thinks.

Suddenly a conversation in the background tears him away from his thoughts.

"... what will those men look like whom we are to seduce," asks a young voice not far from him. If his ears are not mistaken, the voice belongs to Ka-le.

"Does it matter? We are again only being misused to do the dirty work for others. We have been freed from him, but I do not see any difference between him and our previous superior. He just orders us around," a somewhat rougher voice moan.

"...Why do you say something like that? The monk spoke of him in high-pitched tones. Besides, he seems to be more like someone who has experienced too many wars," replies the third voice.

"...just let her talk, she can't do much more than complain about everything, anyway," Caulifla finally hisses.

I'd better intervene before Caulifla tears someone's head off,' thinks Kakarot and gives the command to stop.

One after the other stops to look curiously at Kakarot. The warrior waits a few moments until even the ladies who were engrossed in their debate fall silent.

Only the rustling of the wind in the leaves of the treetops and the incessant chirping of the birds interrupt the iron silence, while Kakarot wanders his gaze through the rows of women and looks each one in the face.

"I am the one who freed you from the brothel owner's clutches, it's true. It came to my attention that I was no different from him for ordering you around. You're absolutely right."

A murmur goes through the rows, of women. Some of them hold their hand in front of their mouth in shock.

However, Kakarot continues his speech, this time he speaks with full fervour.

"However, I will not allow anyone to beat you, abuse you or take you against your will. That is why I will always stay close to you and watch over you. You are too important to be treated like scum. Because I need you here to guarantee the success of our mission, which with your help would spare many innocent lives. Because you are the most important part of our strategy. You are the ones who know a man's weaknesses. You are the ones who can drive any man out of his mind with your art. Every man has a weakness and you will be the ones who take advantage of it. You are the samurai of seduction and therefore I treat you like warriors, giving orders as your general."

The army of geishas and courtesans breaks out in cheers and cries of joy. Screaming, crying, and laughing, the women jump arms in arms on their places or run into his arms.

"Arigatou gozaimasu! Arigatou gozaimasu! Arigatou gozaimasu!" they cheer chaotically.

In the background, he notices Caulifla roaring loudly as a woman fixes him motionless and with folded arms.

'_This must be the woman who spoke so negatively about him. Unrest among soldiers only leads to an uprising. I must prevent her from spreading poison into the heads of others_'

Kakarot thinks as he frees himself from the embrace of three women. Standing straight, the ronin marches towards the courtesan.

"Tell me your name", he asks her.

"What's the point of telling you my name if you're going to forget it anyway once you have no further use for us," she grumbles.

But Kakarot does not move from the spot and grabs her hand instead. He encloses her pale hand with his big rough one and fixes her eyes.

Silently, he asks her for tolerance. Softened by the touch and the proximity of his expressive presence, the obstinate courtesan gives way. "My name is Suno."

Around them, a silence arises. All eyes now rest on them. "Suno-san, tell me why you have such a grudge against me" he clasps her hand tightly.

"I do not trust you. You may fool all the other ladies with your distorted talk, but I am sure that you will leave us in the rain as soon as this mission is over. We are only a tool for you, as well as for all men of this world. You will never be interested in us because we are only prostitutes and would never question how we got into this situation in the first place. I know many here who have been sold by their family because they were impoverished due to the war conditions in our kingdoms and had no other choice but to sell their own daughter, their flesh and blood! As for yours truly, I lost my husband because he died in the war, my village was destroyed, and all the women were sold to this shabby brothel of this village. Each of us once had a home and family that was violently taken from us. Caulifla-chan, my closest confidant, was once banished just because she no longer had a silly skin between her legs, and Kale was forced by mysterious men to work at the brothel! What I want to say is that we have been victims of male violence for a long time! And you also say it with sweet words that we should give our bodies to strange men for a war that is none of our business."

Again, dead silence follows. Even Caulifla, who usually always had something to say, is now quiet and watches the conversation tense.

The ronin balances the words on his tongue before he starts talking. He is pondering about how to convey his words when a flash of lightning flashes through his mind.

He holds Suno's hand tightly closed while he pulls it behind him to the place where he stood before. When all eyes are focused on him, he takes a deep breath and speaks from the deepest part of his heart:

"I finally understand your suffering and will protect you more than ever. I have also lost my family and my village. Except for Caulifla, Kale and a handful of other people, we are the only ones who survived the massacre of our clan and therefore we are looking for those responsible who tried to wipe us out. We are the samurai of the Saiyajin clan. And you are from now on a part of this clan, who will be treated as equals and trained as warriors! As soon as this mission is over, I will personally train each one of you in the arts of war, so that no man in this world can ever take anything away from you again! You will never again be the victims."

Loud cheering booms into his ears, even Suno seems to be convinced, because her face shines with determination.

In the dark of the night, the ronin observes the work of the seduction warriors. As planned, the women pump, abundant sake into the men's bodies, entertain them, play their instruments for them or dance for entertainment, while a small group of them offside stuns the horses and hides their weapons. Only the samurai on the sentries are sober enough to fight. Quietly and quickly Kakarot, dressed in night-black robes, moves to the guards, and takes them out one by one.

'_This unit of the Fureza Army will not cause us any more problems,'_ Kakarot thinks hopefully.

As he takes out the last guard, he and a small group of women huddle near the camp. "Now we only have to wait for the arrival of Muten Roshi and the others.

As the night progresses, Kakarot worries about the mission and the reinforcement. "Did something happen to them?" his thoughts whirl around in his head like an uncontrolled storm of destruction. When he hears a heart-rending scream from a woman, he suddenly decides, not to wait any longer and storms off.

Through the rustling grass, he sprints across the open field with the camp as his target in front of his eyes. He climbs up the wooden poles of the wall and jumps from the sharp tip of a pole directly onto the head of a drunken samurai.

He throws a sharp Shōtō into the mouth of the nearest one, who run towards him with a roar. With quick movements, he cuts off the warriors' arms, legs, or hands. After a short time, he put twenty men out of action in this way. In a panic, the drunken remnant watches the action. Shaking with rage, Kakarot's katana vibrates. "Release the women immediately," he yells.

Holding a knife at her throat, a man brings out the bound Suno.

"There's no good for you to save them. Because you will be late for the real battle."

'What?!' thinks the Ronin.

To silence the drunken man, he got knocked out by his comrades. It dawns on Kakarot's mind that they have all fallen into a trap. 'How could this happen? How did they know that we would attack today? Who betrayed us?' worried about his own comrades, the women, the temple, the village and that Chichi would be waiting for him longingly and defencelessly; an unrestrained fire rises in him. He does not know how to control it. Hot steam escapes his skin. His whole-body trembles uncontrolled. His Katana falls out of his hand as he tries to control his heat.

A tremendous force seems to hang in the air as the soldiers of the Fureza Army slowly and frightenedly leave his side.

Frightened, everyone involved watching the act. Silver shimmer slowly begins to surround him.

"Like the smog of the underworld", whispers one man and immediately every men slowly began to run away as fast as they could.


End file.
